[Use of health care services by children in the first 2 years of life in The Netherlands].

OBJECTIVE

To assess consumption of medical care for infants and toddlers provided by general practitioners and specialists, and of hospital admissions for young children.

DESIGN

Descriptive.

SETTING

Dutch Child Health Clinics (CHC).

METHOD: An aselect cohort of newborns of 1988/89 of the Social Medical Survey of children attending Child health Clinics (SMOCC) were followed for two years; at maximally 8 CHC visits data were collected on the preceding interval.

RESULTS

Health problems as observed in the CHCs like hearing disorders, strabismus, congenital hip dysplasia and growth disturbances were present as a cause for consultation of a GP or specialist in one out of six. Over 95% of the children went to consult their GP, 30% to a paediatrician, 20% to another specialist. Twelve per cent of the children was admitted to hospital, 10% of these more than once. Accidents caused 10% of all visits to a doctor in primary or secondary health care. Children with any form of disability at the age of two (6%) made use of the health care system as indicated in this study about three times more frequently than the non-disabled children.

CONCLUSION

Nearly every child under two visited a GP, many a specialist. Timely recognition of specific health problems at the CHC prevents delay in treatment, and limits the harm in development as well as the costs.