Fed: One in 10 GP visits deal with mental health problem :survey
By Sandra O'Malley
CANBERRA, April 19 AAP - Nearly one in 10 visits to a GP is to deal with a mental healthproblem, a new survey has found.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare's Mental Health Services in Australia1999-00 report also found the rate of city patients hospitalised for specialised psychiatriccare was greater than for people in rural and remote areas.
In metropolitan areas, 5.5 people in every 1,000 accounted for overnight psychiatricadmissions, while this dropped to 4.4 people in rural areas and 2.4 people in remote areas.
By contrast, patients in rural and remote areas made up a higher proportion of thegeneral care patients who were admitted for mental health-related conditions.
Report author David Braddock said the study did not look at whether there were sufficientspecialised psychiatric facilities for country patients but it was an area which requiredfurther examination.
"People in the city are using more specialised services, whereas in the country thereare less available so they get admitted to general care units for treatment," said MrBraddock.
Mr Braddock said it would be useful to examine how treatment in a general care unitaffected the care outcome for the patients.
The report also highlighted the extent to which patients relied on GPs for mental healthtreatment.
Depression was the most common problem treated by GPs, accounting for nearly one-thirdof the mental health problems they managed.
The report found the other most common problems doctors treated included anxiety andsleep disturbance.
"In addition to providing primary health care for people with mental problems, generalpractice also plays an important role in referral to specialised mental health care,"
the report said.
"For every problem managed, general practitioners could record up to two referrals,including referrals to medical specialists, allied health professionals and hospitals."
AAP so/daw/mg/de
KEYWORD: MENTAL
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий