Residents in Denmark can contact a doctor 24/7 in case of an emergency. Most residents are listed with a specific general practitioner (GP), who must first be contacted for health-related issues in the daytime. Outside the usual office hours (8 am - 4 pm), on-call doctors may be contacted in case of acute illness or exacerbation of chronic disease. Thus, the on-call GPs cover most of the hours when a need for treatment may occur.

The organisation of the on-call GPs have changed over the last 10-30 years in many countries, including Denmark. Many small independent clinics have merged into large-scale GP cooperatives that serve larger populations from greater catchment areas. Four of the five regions in Denmark have established a GP cooperative, and most of these cooperatives have become an integral part of the acute healthcare services across primary and secondary care.

The research group conducts research in the entire range of the acute primary healthcare system. A particular focus is given to general practice and its collaboration with other acute healthcare services, such as the urgent medical helpline (1813), emergency rooms and emergency medical services (112).

The group collaborates with many different partners in emergency care and also forms part of the European research network for Out-Of-Hours primary health care (EurOOHnet).