European countries face similar challenges in sustaining an effective health care system, like sociodemographic changes (older population, migration), and skilled labor shortage.
Changes or deficiencies in health care during office hours often result in patients seeking care out of hours (OOH). These deficiencies can be e.g., lack of accessibility and timely availability of the own GP, difficulties to navigate the more and more complex system due to a lower health literacy or digital literacy. For these patients, the acute care, with direct access, is considered a safety net.
In order to address these issues, researchers from several European countries established a new network in 2010: EurOOHnet, the European research network for OOH primary health care. The network aims to identify the strengths and weaknesses of organizational models across Europe and focuses on future innovations and barriers to change. Thus, the three main aims of the network are.
The following board members represent leading institutions across Europe. They bring together expertise in primary care, health services research, emergency care, and healthcare communication to support and strengthen the network’s mission.
Accepted and available soon: Telephone triage in urgent unscheduled primary care in 16 European countries: a cross-national questionnaire-based expert study
2025, Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care IPRI
DOI 10.1080/02813432.2025.2600632
Steeman L, Uijen M, Plat E, Huibers L, Smits M, Giesen P. Out-of-hours primary care in 26 European countries: an overview of organizational models
28. November 2020, Fam Pract
37(6):744-50, DOI 10.1093/fampra/cmaa064
Huibers L, Moth G, Andersen M, van Grunsven P, Giesen P, Christensen MB, u. a. Consumption in out-of-hours health care: Danes double Dutch?
1. März 2014, Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care IPRI
32(1):44-50, DOI 10.3109/02813432.2014.898974
Huibers L, Philips H, Giesen P, Remmen R, Christensen MB, Bondevik GT. EurOOHnet—the European research network for out-of-hours primary health care.
1. September 2014, European Journal of General Practice
20(3):229-32, DOI 10.3109/13814788.2013.846320
Due to an aging population, staff shortages and a 24/7 mindset among patients, the pressure on GPs and triagist OOH is continuously rising. This is also true for Belgium, Denmark, The Netherlands, and Norway, despite differences in the organisation of OOH care. What the four countries do have in common is that they have registry data available for research, either from claims data or from electronic patient records of OOH services. We will use this data to repeat, and improve on, the study of Huibers et al from 2014, by comparing the consumption of OOH care in the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, and Norway. We will establish the 10-year trend and additionally provide more in-depth comparison on the peak-times, age groups and type of consultation in 2023. Furthermore, we will reflect on these results from the perspective of differences in the organization of OOH care and the differences in the country demographics, to enable learning between countries.