Medication discussion groups in the Netherlands: five years of experience.
BACKGROUND
Nation-wide implementation of medication discussion (MD) groups in the Netherlands was designed as a bottom-up approach and has been in progress for five years. This invites a review of what has been achieved in these structured discussions between general practitioners and pharmacists.


BACKGROUND
Early in 1997 the Dutch Foundation for Effective Use of Medication (DGV) initiated a fact-finding exercise among general practitioners and pharmacists representing MD groups all over the country.


OBJECTIVE
Description of the setting up and the operation of medical discussion groups. Comparison of the quality of the consultations between the start of the project (1992) and 1997.


METHODS
Two surveys of medical discussion groups in 1992 and 1997, respectively.


RESULTS
The quality of the consultations was found to have improved in comparison with an evaluation shortly after the start of the project.


CONCLUSIONS
The overwhelming majority of those interviewed were satisfied with the MD process, which they consider a useful effort. But there is also a wish for increased commitment to guidelines agreed in MD group consultations.
Kocken
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Stichting (DGV), Dutch Institute for Effective Use of Medication The Netherlands.
D004358:Drug Therapy; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D009426:Netherlands; D010595:Pharmacists; D010821:Physicians, Family; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic