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Table 1 Consumption of medication in the Netherlands

From: Ethnic minorities and prescription medication; concordance between self-reports and medical records

Dutch GPs are known for being reluctant to prescribe compared to doctors in other European countries [22]. Many patients share this reluctant attitude. They are rather relieved when medication turns out to be unnecessary after a consultation with their doctor. Compared to other European countries the use of medication in the Netherlands is low and OECD-data showed that the Netherlands has one of the lowest expenditures on prescribed medication [22]. Nevertheless; the use of medication in the Netherlands has increased substantially over the last decade. In 2001, the year of the second National Survey of General Practice, expenditures on medication sold in public pharmacies, increased by 11% [23].