Güden Emel, Borlu Arda, Eker Özlem Olguner, Özsoy Saliha, Baykan Zeynep
School of Health Sciences, Cappadocia University, Ürgüp, Nevşehir, Türkiye.
Public Health Department, Faculty of Medical, Erciyes University, Talas, Kayseri, Türkiye.
J Eval Clin Pract. 2025 Apr;31(3):e70097. doi: 10.1111/jep.70097.
The role of primary care physicians in mental health services is increasingly significant. However, there is a lack of research on general practitioners' interest and self-efficacy in providing mental health services.
This study aims to assess the interest and self-efficacy of general practitioners in mental health services and to identify their educational needs in this area.
This study employs a cross-sectional design. A total of 461 family physicians are working in primary care health services in Kayseri, Turkey. The study sample included 415 general practitioners who had not received specialist training in family medicine after graduating from medical school. Face-to-face surveys were conducted with 270 general practitioners who agreed to participate in the study. The survey included questions about demographic characteristics, postgraduate training, experiences related to mental health, knowledge of mental health and medication treatment, self-evaluations of self-efficacy in mental health services, and requests for education on the subject.
General practitioners reported low self-efficacy in the use and dosage of psychiatric medications (11.9%), but felt more competent in relation to drugs with addictive potential (34.4%). However, they generally perceived their competence in the use and monitoring of psychiatric medications to be low. The area where they felt least competent in managing mental illnesses in primary care was "intervention in suicide." Their awareness and coordination regarding community mental health centers, as mental health service providers, were found to be low. Overall, general practitioners perceived themselves as inadequately competent in tracking and managing mental illnesses.
General practitioners acknowledge that mental health services are a primary care responsibility. However, there is a need to increase their self-efficacy in providing mental health services at the primary care level. Since all participants in this study were public employees, continuing mandatory postgraduate mental health training is crucial. Additionally, strengthening collaboration and coordination mechanisms, as well as providing more effective referrals to community mental health centers, is essential. These efforts will significantly contribute to improving the community's mental health.
基层医疗医生在心理健康服务中的作用日益重要。然而，关于全科医生提供心理健康服务的兴趣和自我效能感的研究却很匮乏。
本研究旨在评估全科医生对心理健康服务的兴趣和自我效能感，并确定他们在该领域的教育需求。
本研究采用横断面设计。共有461名家庭医生在土耳其开塞利的基层医疗保健服务机构工作。研究样本包括415名毕业后未接受过家庭医学专科培训的全科医生。对同意参与研究的270名全科医生进行了面对面调查。调查内容包括人口统计学特征、研究生培训、心理健康相关经历、心理健康和药物治疗知识、心理健康服务自我效能感的自我评价以及对该主题教育的需求。
全科医生表示在精神科药物的使用和剂量方面自我效能感较低（11.9%），但对具有成瘾潜力的药物感觉更有能力（34.4%）。然而，他们总体上认为自己在精神科药物的使用和监测方面能力较低。在基层医疗中管理精神疾病时，他们感觉最缺乏能力的领域是“自杀干预”。发现他们作为心理健康服务提供者，对社区心理健康中心的认识和协调能力较低。总体而言,全科医生认为自己在追踪和管理精神疾病方面能力不足。
全科医生承认心理健康服务是基层医疗的一项职责。然而，有必要提高他们在基层医疗层面提供心理健康服务的自我效能感。由于本研究的所有参与者都是公职人员，持续的强制性研究生心理健康培训至关重要。此外，加强协作与协调机制，以及提供更有效的转介到社区心理健康中心，也至关重要。这些努力将对改善社区心理健康做出重大贡献。
