Impact of training for general practitioners on their mental health services The Hong Kong experience

Background and objectives General practitioners (GPs) constitute an important workforce for mental healthcare in the community. However, many GPs receive limited training in mental health. This study compares the practice characteristics of GPs with mental health training to those of other GPs in Hong Kong. Method A questionnaire survey was conducted among GPs. Of the 516 respondents, 76 (14.7%) had attended a one-year postgraduate mental health training course. Results The GPs with mental health training saw significantly more patients with mental health problems per week (median class 11–15 versus 6–10) and treated a higher percentage of patients with mental health problems (median class 41–60% versus 21–40%). The differences remained significant, with odds ratios of 2.6 for both indicators after controlling for gender, healthcare setting and years of practice. Discussion Policies should promote training of GPs as part of the increasing workforce for mental healthcare. Estimated from the results, GPs with mental health training have nearly triple the number of consultations related to mental health, compared with other GPs (340 versus 120 per year).