First in healthcare: first gastroenterology experts by experience ready for practice

Starting this week, a new group of professionals is ready to strengthen gastrointestinal and liver care in the Netherlands. This marks the first time there is specific training focused on gastrointestinal disorders. These new professionals leverage their own experience with chronic diseases to offer patients practical support and self-management. This initiative directly relieves the burden on doctors and can significantly reduce the number of repeat hospital visits.

“Where medical treatment stops, the expert by experience helps with living with a chronic condition,” says Mariel Croon, Director of the MDL Fonds and initiator of the training at Summa . “This fills a major gap in current care. With this first certified group, gastroenterology care gains a valuable, sustainable layer that increases patient autonomy and gives healthcare professionals breathing room in the consulting room.”

“The added value of peer experts in gastroenterology care is clear, for both the patient and the healthcare providers,” states gastroenterologist Willem Pieter Brouwer of the Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. “For healthcare providers, it relieves the workload, because the peer expert can take over conversations and answer many questions. For the patient, the peer expert is a source of information, someone who understands exactly what it entails to undergo the treatment.”

As a conclusion to the training, the participants developed immediately applicable practical products. A striking example is the 'Centering PDS project' in Rotterdam. This new group program combines medical education and peer support for people with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Thanks to a grant, this initiative is starting immediately as a feasibility study within two GP practices to organize care more efficiently.

Other tools include a guide for self-management in the hospital, a set of cards for the emotional impact of liver transplants, and visual flyers to reduce laxative use among the elderly.

Practice has now proven the added value. At the Meander Medical Center in Amersfoort, experts by experience are already being deployed for patients with unexplained abdominal complaints.

Mirte, a peer expert at the Meander Medical Center, explains: “We offer patients the time, explanation, and recognition that a doctor often lacks. This gives patients a sense of control and prevents unnecessary repeat visits to the hospital.”

At Zuyderland Medical Center, gastroenterologist Mariëlle Romberg-Camps also hears positive stories from patients: “The role of expert by experience is new to our department and requires pioneering. The focus is on lifestyle and the social impact of being ill. I am convinced that good care is impossible without the patient's perspective.”

Due to the success of this first year, the initiative is being continued. Registration for the new cohort of students is now open.

The award ceremony will take place on August 28 at Summa Zorg&Welzijn in Eindhoven.