pubmed:abstractText |
The Dutch Sentinel Practice Network, "de Peilstations" started in 1970. The purpose of this network is to gain a better insight into the epidemiology of a number of illnesses and conditions as they are presented to the general practitioner. The network is sponsored by the Ministry of Welfare, Public Health and Culture. Value was attached to the distribution of the spotter physicians over the country and by degree of urbanisation. The presence of 1% of the population of the four provinces groups and the three urbanisation groups has been observed in the practices of the spotter physicians. The completeness of the registration, the internal and the external validity of the data collected by the physicians are discussed.
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