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The first guidelines of the Dutch College of General Practitioners aimed at the abolishment of unnecessary medical treatment. These guidelines were rather successful. In retrospect, one may get the impression that the intended changes happened by themselves. However, when the pill controls were abolished, it was important to get the patient along. When moving diabetes care and assessing and treating ankle sprains to primary care, GPs had to train themselves in glucose control and become familiar with the assessment and taping of sprained ankles. The changes therefore took several years and were facilitated by the creation of new remuneration schemes. The law of inertia also applies to medical treatment.

Conflict of interest and financial support: none declared.