Early Psychosis Intervention and Primary Care: A Mixed Methods Study of Family Physician Knowledge, Attitudes, Preferences, and Needs

Community Ment Health J. 2024 Mar 5. doi: 10.1007/s10597-024-01242-1. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTFamily physicians (FPs) play an important but underappreciated role in the pathways to care for people with early psychosis. We conducted a mixed-methods study to describe the knowledge, attitudes, preferences, and needs of FPs towards the recognition and management of early psychosis. We sent a cross-sectional postal survey to a random sample of FPs in Ontario, Canada, and conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with twenty. FPs were generally aware of important early psychosis symptoms, however, there were some knowledge gaps. Among surveyed FPs, 25% were unsure of the availability of early psychosis intervention services in their region, and most (80%) would prefer to co-manage with specialists. In the qualitative interviews, FPs expressed varied comfort levels in recognizing psychosis, and that timely access to psychiatry was a main concern. Our findings suggest that FPs require better support in recognizing and managing early psychosis and facilitating connections with specialized care.PMID:38441824 | DOI:10.1007/s10597-024-01242-1

Source: Community Mental Health Journal - March 5, 2024 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Brooke Carter Rebecca Rodrigues Jordan Edwards Saadia Hameed Jan Bridget L Ryan Richard G Booth Suzanne Archie Kelly K Anderson project co-investigators Source Type: research