Department of General Practice, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
Can J Public Health. 2009 Mar-Apr;100(2):145-7. doi: 10.1007/BF03405525.
Canada and Australia share many similarities in terms of demographics and the structure of their health systems; however, there has been a divergence in policy approaches to public funding of psychological care. Recent policy reforms in Australia have substantially increased community access to psychologists for evidence-based treatment for high prevalence disorders. In Canada, access remains limited with the vast majority of consultations occurring in the private sector, which is beyond the reach of many individuals due to cost considerations. With the recent launch of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, it is timely to reflect on the context of the current Canadian and Australian systems of psychological care. We argue that integrating psychologists into the publicly-funded primary care system in Canada would be feasible, beneficial for consumers, and cost-effective.
加拿大和澳大利亚在人口统计学和卫生系统结构方面有许多相似之处；然而，两国在公共资金心理保健政策方法上存在分歧。澳大利亚最近的政策改革大幅增加了社区获得心理学家的机会，以提供基于证据的高发性疾病治疗。在加拿大，由于费用考虑，绝大多数咨询仍在私营部门进行，这使得大多数人无法获得这种治疗，因此获得机会仍然有限。随着加拿大心理健康委员会的最近成立，现在正是反思加拿大和澳大利亚当前心理保健系统背景的时机。我们认为，将心理学家纳入加拿大公共资助的初级保健系统是可行的，对消费者有益，而且具有成本效益。
