[Quality assurance regarding cooperation between general practitioners and psychiatric services]

Although evaluation of client satisfaction is of great importance in quality assurance of psychiatric care, general practitioners' cooperation with psychiatric services was rarely investigated until now. The referral to a psychiatric hospital is a substantial problem area. Apart from length of waiting lists, competence of hospital and quality of cooperation, particularly general practitioner's role perception regarding mental illness determines referral policy. The need of general practitioners should be taken into consideration in planning psychiatric care to improve the treatment of patients with mental disorders.