Dutch healthcare is under increasing pressure due to an ageing population, a growing number of patients living with multiple conditions simultaneously, and a persistent shortage of healthcare personnel. Estimates suggest that by 2040, one in four working people would need to be employed in healthcare to meet demand. Many AI applications developed for healthcare do not yet reach daily clinical practice. Trinitas HORIZON aims to close that gap by developing AI that is usable, reliable, and applicable within the context of general practice.

The consortium focuses on one of the most challenging aspects of healthcare: the initial diagnostic assessment by the general practitioner. Patients increasingly present with multiple and sometimes still vague complaints, while the number of available diagnostic tests and data sources continues to grow. This combination can lead to repeated examinations, unnecessary referrals, uncertainty among patients, and additional pressure on the healthcare system. The consortium is developing an AI-supported platform that brings together diagnostic information and helps general practitioners make better-informed decisions, aimed at achieving a so-called first-time-right diagnosis: choosing the right direction as early as possible, so that patients receive clarity and appropriate care more quickly.

Peter Bosman, group leader of CWI’s Evolutionary Intelligence group, is participating in Trinitas HORIZON as a co-applicant, contributing expertise in artificial intelligence, data science, and algorithmic methods. General practice differs substantially from a hospital setting: complaints are often still ambiguous, and diagnostic reasoning requires weighing multiple possible explanations at the same time. The AI methods being developed within the consortium must therefore be capable of handling uncertainty, incomplete information, and diverse data sources. The work concerns not only the development of advanced technology, but also the question of how that technology can align well with the needs and working practices of general practitioners.

Trinitas HORIZON brings together a broad national network. All Dutch university medical centres and their departments of general practice are involved, alongside GP organisations, hospitals, primary care organisations, patient organisations, universities, technology partners, and experts in the social, ethical, and legal aspects of healthcare innovation. Consortium leader Saskia Haitjema of UMC Utrecht describes the aim as follows: “Together we support general practitioners in answering important diagnostic questions: should someone be referred to the hospital, and when should they not be? And are we missing a rare disease? This way we ensure that patients follow the right diagnostic path more quickly and receive the right treatment sooner.”