{"id":55040,"date":"2026-08-24T12:06:55","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T10:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.turner.nl\/uncategorized\/column-by-peter-de-bruin-letting-go-of-the-patient\/"},"modified":"2026-08-24T12:06:58","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T10:06:58","slug":"column-by-peter-de-bruin-letting-go-of-the-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.turner.nl\/en\/blog-en\/column-by-peter-de-bruin-letting-go-of-the-patient\/","title":{"rendered":"Column by Peter de Bruin | \u201cLetting Go of the Patient\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Column by Peter de Bruin<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

\"Letting Go of the Patient\"<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Healthcare in the Netherlands is of high quality. Yet it costs a lot of money and requires more staff than we have. Can we do better? Yes, but that requires collaboration. This is difficult to achieve because of the many \u201cmine versus yours\u201d debates over money, data, systems, etc., fueled by the sense of responsibility for \u201cmy\u201d patient. Collaboration is only possible with\u2014and through\u2014administrators and healthcare professionals who are willing to move forward by letting go of the old ways. \n<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The quality of healthcare in the Netherlands is improving, but costs are rising even faster, now exceeding 100 billion euros (13.3% of GDP). Labor shortages and absenteeism due to illness are relatively high in the healthcare and social services sectors. There are 1.4 million people working in these sectors, but that is not enough. Many are covering for others, which may explain the extremely high rates of absenteeism. So, this system is failing. A healthcare crisis is virtually inevitable. <\/p>

Fortunately, the healthcare sector is brimming with initiatives aimed at providing better care at lower costs. Let me mention a few of the larger concepts (by no means an exhaustive list): shared healthcare, appropriate healthcare, shared decision-making, regional healthcare, JZOJP, integrated healthcare, circular healthcare, sustainable healthcare, VBHC, … And there are many hundreds of smaller initiatives. All well-intentioned, but very fragmented. <\/p>

Scaling up is proving difficult; there\u2019s a lot of \u201cnot invented here\u201d mentality, and, as a result, many people are reinventing the wheel. Most improvements aren\u2019t really complicated in terms of content, but we can\u2019t seem to connect them. There are many silos and isolated units in the Healthcare chain. Why doesn\u2019t the Healthcare sector work together? <\/p>

That\u2019s because of the many \u201cmine\/yours\u201d debates. Mine\/yours data, mine\/yours budget, mine\/yours system, \u2026, and behind all that lies \u201cmy\u201d or \u201cyours\u201d patient. We say \u201cpatient-centered,\u201d but what we really mean is \u201cmy patient.\u201d In our own silo. Responsibility for the patient\u2014the Hippocratic Oath\u2014has institutionalized compartmentalization in Healthcare.<\/p>

There are indeed many consultative bodies, collaborative structures, roundtables, platforms, pilot projects, associations, etc., \u2026\u2014all places where efforts are made to focus on \u201cour patient\u201d rather than \u201cmy patient.\u201d Driven by legislation and funding, stakeholders come together to design better healthcare. However, putting these ideas into practice is difficult. After many discussions, we often return to our own silos without having achieved much.<\/p>

What\u2019s next? Where\u2019s the BREAKTHROUGH? We can break through this dysfunctional aspect in the DNA of healthcare by letting go of silos. A healthcare crisis can only be averted if we truly start connecting and don\u2019t stop until collaboration is complete. To achieve this, we must be transparent about data and financial flows. To achieve this, we must make data exchange easy (fortunately, policymakers are close to reaching a decision). To achieve this, we need a unified approach for \u201cour\u201d patient, placing them at the center of the entire healthcare chain. We must take that healthcare chain seriously, from prevention to palliative care. To achieve this, we need to use new technology and digitalization to enable more self-care and to handle simple care and monitoring tasks. But above all, to do this, we need administrators and medical professionals who are willing to let go of some things. <\/p>

Paradoxically, we have to let go of the patient! Or, more precisely, let go of the box we put \u201cour\u201d patient in. We take responsibility for the patient together. Trusting one another\u2014that helps. <\/p>

The region is exactly the right starting point for this collaboration. National coordination is too broad, and at the local level, we cannot achieve the scale needed to deliver high-quality, efficient healthcare across the board. Chain integration in the region. Bring all parties to the table\u2014with no turning back. Be willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. We can only embrace the new healthcare system if we let go of the old one. So, in the healthcare chain, let go of the patient\u2014for the benefits of all patients. <\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

Meet the Author<\/h3>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\"\"