‘We do it together!’

‘Before I had Prisma, I used Siilo’s messaging function to contact a specialist directly,’ Marieke explains. ​‘For example, when I was at the GP surgery. Being able to quickly send a video to the neurologist of a patient showing signs of epilepsy is very practical. It gives a much more realistic picture than a description over the phone.’

‘Don’t you know this either?’

‘From 2020, I have access to Prisma and immediately started posting my own cases. In the beginning, I did find this exciting and first discussed the case with a colleague for a while. When he didn’t know what it was either, I dared to post my case,’ Marieke laughs.

‘I still regularly post cases. I use Prisma, for instance, for what I myself am bad at. Dermatology, for instance. In some cases I can look up the problem in the knowledge base, if I want more information on a clearly formulated complaint. But a rash I don’t know what it is, I take a picture and post it.’

‘It’s super nice to be able to learn from specialists and gain knowledge this way,’ Marieke says. ​‘And the nice thing about Prisma is that, unlike in a regular teleconsultation, you can keep talking to the responders. That way, you can ask a question back or even tell them about the outcome of a case.’ 

The not everyday things 

‘Other types of cases I like to use Prisma for are the not everyday things you encounter in practice. As a GP, you know little about a lot, but the specialist knows a lot about little. That’s why it’s great to be able to present the rare cases you see and don’t know what to do with, to a group of specialists.’

‘It often happens that a case is in a grey area between different specialisms’, says Marieke. ​‘In that case it’s nice you can select several specialisms. Each of these specialisms consists of a club of specialists who are happy to think along with you as a GP. The person who happens to have seen a similar case before responds and shares his or her knowledge. This way, you are more likely to reach someone with experience in the field of your question than if you address your question to just one person’.

Together you know more

‘Some time ago, for example, a patient came to my surgery with an abnormal body odour. I wasn’t quite sure what to do with it. Is this something the patient should accept and I can let it go, or is a referral needed to find out what is causing the odour? And to which specialty does this question belong: the dermatologist, the internist or maybe an MDL doctor? In Prisma, I could tick them all off, allowing a whole group of specialists to see my question. If I had contacted the hospital I would have spoken to only one person. And together you just know more.’

Back-up

‘Looking up questions in the knowledge base or discussing cases in Prisma helps me to avoid making unnecessary referrals because I simply don’t know,’ Marieke says. ​‘As a GP, you see a lot, and 80% of the patients who come to you have nothing serious. It’s nice to sometimes get some back-up in Prisma to solve certain cases myself and not have to refer. Incidentally, it also works the other way round. It also helps you not to unfairly withhold a referral.’

Profit

‘You get responses to your case quickly and what’s more, you notice the enthusiasm of the specialists. They won’t be disturbed during their work to answer these questions, but can do this at a time that suits them. And you notice that in everything. Getting nice responses adds to my job satisfaction. I feel helped and supported. We do it together!’

‘The biggest gain for me lies in the fact that Prisma increases my knowledge,’ Marieke concludes. ​‘I learn from the cases I post and from what I look up in the knowledge base. And when I come across a similar case again, I think, ​“Oh yes, that was it!“ ‘

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