“I was hoping that you would wave a stick and the headache would go away, but this of course is unrealistic,” says Emma in doctor Marjolyn Camphuis’s office. Camphuis did not prescribe any medication and did not refer Emma to a specialist. Instead, Emma filled out an exhaustive questionnaire.
The questions were diverse in nature. What do you think is important? Have you ever been out with friends? Can you handle change well? Do you enjoy your work? “With a few questions I was really wondering what their complaints had to do.”
Six aspects of health
The questionnaire covers the six aspects of positive health. “Health is more than just feeling sick,” says Marjolyn Camphuis. “Health is also about quality of life, meaning, participation in society, and daily functioning.” This way of looking at a total human was developed by Matchtild Hopper Commissioned by the World Health Organization.
In Hengelo’s Respons GP practice, the concept of positive health has been adopted wholeheartedly. Camphuis: “We have not been able to treat all the problems with the solutions that traditional medicine provides. The great benefit for patients is that they regain control of their health.”
Thanks to positive health, the patient regains control of his life
Accept headaches
In addition to physical therapy, Emma was advised to learn to accept her headaches. Emma: “I’m not getting rid of my complaint, no. But now I know how to deal with it better. And I’m much better.”
Spend more time, and fewer referrals
The patient approach according to the concept of positive health has a drawback. Kamphuis takes up to an hour with a patient for each questionnaire. “This is something we have to arrange more with Menzis.” On the other hand, it has much fewer referrals and fewer people returning to it. “But the numbers are still so small that no firm conclusions can really be drawn.”
Well-being by prescription
Feeling important contributes to positive health. That is why the GP Clinic started the Prescription Well-Being Pilot project with the municipality of Hengelo. This is especially helpful for people who suffer from psychological problems. Through the activity, attention is shifted from the complaint to the activity the participant enjoys. This has a direct impact on the joy of life, self-image and well-being in the broad sense. In addition to Hengelo, the municipalities of Enschede, Almelo and Hardenberg also operate.
Hear also Hoogtij from March 7th.
Revoke data = “>
