Número decreciente de visitas domiciliarias a adultos mayores por parte de médicos de cabecera: un estudio observacional utilizando datos de registros de salud electrónicos en los Países Bajos, 2017-2023

To analyse the number of GP home visits from 2017-2023 in The Netherlands, and to investigate whether this trend differed according to age, sex, multimorbidity, and neighbourhood deprivation.

An observational study that used data derived from Nivel Primary Care Database, containing routinely recorded data from approximately 500 Dutch GP practices.

The number of home visits was calculated by age, sex, multimorbidity, and neighbourhood deprivation.

A 32% overall decrease in home visits was observed, with the sharpest decline in 2020. Short visits dropped by 52%, while visits for intensive GP care, often related to end-of-life situations, increased by 12%.

We report a continuing decline in the number of home visits by GPs, comparing 2023 with 2017. Home visits for intensive GP care, often for patients at the end of life, increased since 2017. GPs may be forced to make choices owing to increasing workload and evolving care demands.