[Is the difference between the educational requirements and the final standards of medical studies a problem?]

Last year a ministerial order was issued concerning the requirements of the study of medicine, stating the general end terms and listing health problems as a starting point for this study. The end terms have been made less specific than they were in the first draft, to achieve compatibility between existing European guidelines and Dutch education legislation. The list of problems is not in keeping with this, however. Furthermore, problem-oriented education that meets the end terms requires information about the age and sex-specific distribution of diseases. Owing to the continuous morbidity registration by general practitioners, part of this information is already present and more is expected to become available.