The purpose of the Healthcare Professionals Act (Wet BIG) is to promote and monitor quality in health care. The Act also protects patients from careless or incompetent treatment by a healthcare professional. The BIG register is one of the tools for implementing the Healthcare Professionals Act.
The BIG Act (in Dutch: ‘Wet op de beroepen in de individuele gezondheidszorg’; Individual Healthcare Professions Act) is generally known by its Dutch acronym ‘BIG’. It classifies healthcare professions in 2 groups, that refer to the sections 3 and 34 of the Act. Only the section 3 professions are listed in the BIG register and fall under disciplinary rule.
Article 3 professions
Article 3 professions:
- have a legally protected professional title;
- are listed in the BIG-register;
- are subject to disciplinary rules.
Overview article 3 professions:
- clinical technologist
- dentist
- doctor
- health psychologist
- midwife
- nurse
- pharmacist
- physiotherapist
- psychotherapist
- physician assistant
- remedial educationalist
Article 34 professions
Article 34 professions:
- have a legally protected academic title;
- cannot register in the BIG-register;
- are not subject to disciplinary rules.
Overview of article 34 professions:
- dental hygienist
- dental technician
- diagnostic radiographer
- dietician
- Occupational therapist
- medical physicist
- nurse in individual healthcare (assistant nurse)
- optometrist
- orthoptist
- pharmaceutical assistant
- podiatrist
- remedial therapist
- skin therapist
- speech and language therapist
- therapeutic radiographer.
See also the page Other professions.
Article 14 specialisms
These are the legally recognized specialisms, such as specialist nurse and clinical psychologist.