Roughly 40% of Dutch people think they received unnecessary healthcare

Forty percent of Netherlands residents who received care in the past two years experienced at least part of that care as unnecessary, the Patient Federation reported after surveying almost 11,000 members of its healthcare panel. Patients find it a difficult topic to discuss with their doctors, and those who do often feel unheard or ignored.

Patients often experience check-ups and follow-up care as unnecessary (19 percent). They also often report getting unnecessary or too much medication, 18 and 20 percent, respectively. Seven percent reported unnecessary surgeries or treatments, and 9 percent felt that some examinations weren’t needed.

“Not all care that is experienced as unnecessary is actually unnecessary. But this is a very clear signal that we need to work on. Especially given the current pressure on healthcare,” said Patient Federation director Arthur Schellekens. According to him, healthcare providers still make far too little use of patient experience and knowledge to offer appropriate care.

The Patient Federation urged healthcare providers to improve their data sharing. Many patients reported undergoing the same test or examination more than once because healthcare organizations didn’t communicate properly. “It is, of course, inconceivable that we still have not resolved this in 2024. And we’re not even talking about the 27,000 avoidable household admissions every year due to medication errors, partly because healthcare providers do not have good insight into their patients’ medication data.”

The federation that advocates for patients’ interests also urged healthcare providers to listen more to what their patients have to say. More than half of the people who discussed care that felt unnecessary with their doctor still had doubts when the care was performed.

“Doctors often rely on protocols and guidelines, but that is not sufficient for patients,” said Schellekens. “Explain to the patient what you think is needed. Discuss the different treatment options and their influence on quality of life. Not treating can also be an option. Ask about the patient’s preference and make a decision together.”