Abstract des Autors

450 patients, treated in the last three months of 1996 in three (top)sports health services (AZU, KNVB, NOC NSF), were asked to write down their experiences with sports health care by means of a questionnaire. The response rate was 51% (229 questionnaires). A lot of patients described themselves as topathletes (42%). Soccer, track and field, tennis and fieldhockey are the sports most frequently mentioned (together 57% of the mentioned sports). In 60% of the cases patients visited the centres on their own initiative. Those delays were significantly shorter than when patients were referred. This could be explained by the fact that a lot of these athletes already knew the sports physician. These physicians have got two functions: at a sports health service and as a sports physician of a sports association. Most patients had previously been treated (average 1.6 per patient), mostly by a physiotherapist (33%). In general they have long delays (median: 3-6 months). Patients valued the treatment of sports physicians highly (average 8.2), apart from their routing (reference, other treatment, delay). Most important qualities of sports physicians are: expertise of sports medicine (95%), understanding what being injured means to the athlete (77%) and consulting the patient about the treatment (73%). It is possible that medical costs can be reduced if patients are referred to the specialised services earlier and more often. Conclusion: for the majority of (top)athletes the sports health services successfully provide the sports health care needed. Verf.-Referat