title: Twenty-two years of HIV-related consultations in Dutch general practice: a dynamic cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the role of general practitioners (GPs) in HIV counselling and testing over a 22-year period.
  
  
  METHODS
  A dynamic cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  General practices (N=42) participating in the Dutch Sentinel General Practice Network at Nivel with a nationally representative patient population by age, gender, regional distribution and population density.
  
  
  METHODS
  HIV-related consultations from 1988 to 2009 were recorded using a questionnaire in which patient's characteristics, interventions and test results were recorded. Trends over time and effects of urbanisation (3 categories) were assessed by multilevel analysis to control for clustering of observations within general practices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Time trend analyses show an increasing trend in HIV-related consultations and in the total number of HIV tests per 10 000 registered patients from 1988 to 1996, followed by a declining period and an increase again in the period 2007-2009. Over the whole period, the number of HIV-related consultations was highest in the urban areas with a maximum of 18 per 10 000 patients in 1996. The proportion of people high at risk, men who have sex with men, decreased. The proportion of HIV-related consultations initiated by the GPs increased from 11% in 1988 to 23% in 2009.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this 22-year period, HIV-related consultations and provider-initiated HIV testing in the Dutch general practice have increased. More attention for sexual health in general practice is required that focuses on high-risk groups and on more routine testing in high prevalence areas.
authors.affiliation: Sentinel General Practice Network, Nivel, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gé
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Donker
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dorsman
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Spreeuwenberg
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: van den Broek
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van Bergen