‘With the answers from Prisma, you are more solid in your advice.’

‘I’m old-fashioned in the sense that I like to see my patients in real life, during consultation hours. And because I think continuity is important, where a patient has 1 or 2 regular GPs,’ Liesbeth explains. ​‘I want to know people personally and not just speak to them through digital means’ ​‘But in support of that, I do like to make use of the digital innovations that are out there. They provide opportunities to keep care close to the patient and to avoid unnecessary referrals.’

Reading along as continuing education

‘Ever since the very beginning of Prisma, I was there. In the beginning, I posted cases myself pretty soon. But out of interest, I also read along a lot. And I still do,’ says Liesbeth. ​‘I like to think about what I would answer and then wonder what specialists think about it. I find that a very nice form of continuing education. Some syndromes you don’t see very often in practice, but because I see them several times on Prisma, I learn about them and notice them faster.’

‘We also regularly receive interesting and complicated cases related to psychiatry or Somatic Insufficiently Explained Physical Complaints (in Dutch: Somatisch Onvoldoende verklaarde Lichamelijke klachten – SOLK). Very instructive then to read the different reactions and learn from the different approaches that are possible.’

Looking things up

If I am at a loss as to what to do, I first look in the knowledge base to see if something has already been described about a not too complicated case,’ Liesbeth explains. It’s nice to be able to look things up when you think: what was it again? Or if you are curious about the current guideline for a certain disorder. With the right information, you provide the patient with information immediately, without having to refer them.’

Posting a case

‘I post a case study mainly when I find it fun or useful if several specialisms can think along,’ says Liesbeth. ​‘You then get answers from several angles. Posting a question on Prisma can also be a nice interim solution when a patient would like to be referred, but you yourself suspect that this is not necessary. Or just when you yourself are in doubt as to whether referral makes sense. The answers from specialists on Prisma are then not only nice and reassuring for the patient. It is also nice for yourself, for extra security. You are more solid in your advice.’

‘Asking questions via a regular teleconsult, in my case via ZorgDomein, I also do. I use Prisma and the teleconsult side by side. I use ZorgDomein mainly for patients who are known in the hospital and whose labs have also been pricked in the hospital, for example.’

Same-day solution

‘The speed of response to Prisma is very pleasant. Just this week, by chance, I saw a case come along from another GP. She had a patient with a detached nail, due to an accident. She correctly pointed out that there is no good description anywhere of how to replace a nail. This is not in the Manual of Operations. That same afternoon, with the help of answers from a plastic surgeon and a hand and wrist surgeon, she was able to successfully replace the nail.’

‘This is a good example of a case that can be resolved quickly with Prisma. If you had called an on-call doctor for this, it would have become a referral to the emergency room,’ Liesbeth explains. ​‘That you can do this kind of thing easier and faster this way as a GP is very nice.’

From Siilo to Prisma: a small step

‘As far as I’m concerned, Prisma has its own place alongside the other consultation options available. The fact that it goes through Siilo makes it low-threshold. Almost everyone uses Siilo to be accessible to other healthcare providers. Prisma is linked to it, making the step to using this method of consultation small.’

‘Fellow GPs who are just getting acquainted with Prisma I recommend just reading along first. Then you get a feel for the type of questions that are asked. As a result, you then automatically come across a case in your own practice that you know: this fits well with Prisma.’

Prisma is currently only available for GPs, specialists and RGPOs that are based in the Netherlands.