Scaling up an online triage system to reduce the pressure on assistants and general practitioners.

The pressure in primary care is increasing. For years there has been a steady increase in demand, but too few general practitioners and support such as GP assistants. We also notice this in practice (7 GPs). The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an enormous increase in the demand for care in primary care. First of all, the patient population itself: there are more concerns from patients, more psychological complaints and there is avoidance of care among a relatively large number of patients who belong to vulnerable groups. In addition, until recently there was care that was passed on from secondary care to GPs in primary care. The Dutch population now also seems to call the GP practice more quickly for low-urgency matters. GPs are overflowing and assistants are overloaded because the pressure on the telephone is high.