Fassaert, T., Nielen, M., Verheij, R., Verhoeff, A., Dekker, J., Beekman, A., Wit, M. de. Quality of care for anxiety and depression in different ethnic groups by family practitioners in urban areas in the Netherlands. General Hospital Psychiatry: 2010, 32, 368-376 This is a NIVEL certified Post Print, more info at http://www.nivel.eu Postprint Version 1.0 Journal website http://www.ghpjournal.com/article/S0163-8343(10)00100-3/abstract Pubmed link http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20633740 DOI 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2010.04.010 This is a NIVEL certified Post Print, more info at http://www.nivel.eu Quality of care for anxiety and depression in different ethnic groups by family practitioners in urban areas in the Netherlands THIJS FASSAERT, M.SC. A,B , MARK NIELEN, PH.D. C , ROBERT VERHEIJ, PH.D. C , ARNOUD VERHOEFF, PH.D. A,D , JACK DEKKER, PH.D. E,F , AARTJAN BEEKMAN, PH.D. G,H , MATTY DE WIT, PH.D. A a Department of Epidemiology, Documentation and Health Promotion, Municipal Health Service, 1000 CE Amsterdam, The Netherlands b Department of Social Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1100 DD Amsterdam, The Netherlands c NIVEL (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), 3500 BN Utrecht, The Netherlands d Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Amsterdam, 1012 DK Amsterdam, The Netherlands e Department of Psychology, VU University, 1081 BT Amsterdam, The Netherlands f Section of Research and Development, Arkin, 1062 XD Amsterdam, The Netherlands g Department of Psychiatry, VU University, 1081 HL Amsterdam, The Netherlands h GGZ inGeest, 1081 HL Amsterdam, The Netherlands ABSTRACT Objective: There is widespread concern about access to good quality health care for ethnic minority groups. This study investigates differences between ethnic groups regarding prevalence of anxiety and depression, and adherence to treatment guidelines by family practitioners in urban areas in the Netherlands. Method: Data from electronic medical records, collected for the Netherlands Information Network of General Practice. Diagnoses were based on the International Classification of Primary Care. Adherence to guidelines included at least five consultations, prescription of psychotropics for 6 weeks at most (indicative of cessation in case of nonresponse) or 5 months at least (suggesting continuation in case of response), and/or a referral to a mental health care specialist. Data were analyzed using multilevel logistic regression analyses. Results: A total of 6413 patients (4.4% of practice population) were diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression. Prevalence was highest in Turkish patients (5.2%). Of diagnosed patients, 42.9% received guideline-concordant treatment. Only Surinamese/Antillean patients were less likely than ethnic Dutch to receive treatments according to guidelines. Conclusion: Prevalence of and quality of care for anxiety and depression were comparable between ethnic minority clients, but some differences suggest that efforts to educate primary care providers in management of anxiety/depression should be continued and tailored to specific ethnic groups. 1. INTRODUCTION Equal access to good quality care for patients, regardless of their ethnic backgrounds, can be considered a key characteristic of quality of care which is highly valued in Western countries [1,2]. As far as mental