title: Interfacing the ICU with the general practitioner.
abstract: For many reasons it is crucial that treating intensivists have (regular) contact with general practitioners (GPs). Information about the premorbid condition of the patient, their will and wishes, is of importance to be able to set appropriate treatment goals. The GP is the doctor who is responsible for the patient once discharged from the hospital. Additionally, the GP can play an important early role in the support of relatives, provided the GP is timely informed. This kind of communication should be organized in a structured way within the intensive care unit department.
authors.affiliation: Department of Intensive Care, VU University Medical Center Amsterdam, PO Box 7057, 1007 MB Amsterdam, The Netherlands. arj.girbes@vumc.nl
authors.forename: Armand R J
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Girbes
authors.forename: Albertus
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beishuizen
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D058005:General Practitioners; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D000078329:Workforce