[Removing a patient from the practice list].

There are boundaries to what a physician can be expected to tolerate from a patient in terms of behaviour. If a patient approaches or oversteps these boundaries the physician is entitled to take action. Article 460 of the Dutch Medical Treatment Act states that a physician may unilaterally end an agreement to treat if there are important grounds to do so. A 2005 Royal Dutch Medical Association guideline contains concrete recommendations and suggestions for physicians who are seriously considering removing a patient from their practice list. Disease-related powerlessness or inability should not be a reason for breaking off a contract to treat a patient.