Nivel Primary Care Database

Nivel's Primary Care Database (Nivel Zorgregistraties Eerste Lijn) uses routinely recorded data from health care providers to monitor health and utilisation of health services in a representative sample of the Dutch population.

One of the Nivel national databases
Nivel Primary Care Database is part of Nivel's research infrastructure, which consists of panels, national databases and monitors. With this research infrastructure, Nivel provides relevant information from different perspectives: that of patients, clients and citizens, that of healthcare providers and that of the organisation of healthcare.

AimAim

The aim of Nivel Primary Care Database is to do research on developments in health and the use of primary health services in the Netherlands. Therefore Nivel Primary Care Database answers questions like:

  • For what health problems do people seek medical treatment?
  • How do primary care facilities co-operate?
  • What kind of care do patients receive?
  • How can the health care system be improved?

Participants in Nivel Primary Care DatabaseParticipants in Nivel Primary Care Database

Our database consists of data we derive from the registrations of many different primary care disciplines:

Nivel-zorgverleners NZR

These data are combined and supplemented with information about pharmaceutical care and secondary level care collected by other organisations.

Periodic feedback reports for participating healthcare providersPeriodic feedback reports for participating healthcare providers

Healthcare providers who participate in Nivel Primary Care Database receive periodic feedback reports that enable them to compare themself with their peers. 
 

Privacy protection

We value the privacy of people and organisations that participate in our registrations. In our Privacy Regulations for the Primary Care Database (in Dutch) we state what data we collect, how we manage it, what data we may provide to third parties and what the rights of the registered participants are. Hereby we adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), that took effect in EU in 2018:

  • Researchers have no access to identifiable data of participants (e.g. name, address, citizen service number).
  • Research results cannot be traced back to individual persons, healthcare providers or organisations.
  • Participating healthcare providers may withdraw from Nivel's registrations at any time, without stating reasons.

ResultsResults

Results of research with the panel you can find at Publications on this website, where you can fill in your own search terms (such as 'primary care').

GovernanceGovernance

Steering committees with representatives from national associations of healthcare providers decide about the use of the data. The governance protocol (in Dutch) can be downloaded.

What can we do for you?What can we do for you?

We look forward to getting in touch with you.

Nivel Research Communication Center. Nivel Primary Care Database. From: www.nivel.nl [Last update 30-January-2025; consulted on 05-February-2025]. URL: https://www.nivel.nl/en/our-databases-and-panels/nivel-primary-care-database