Evaluation of the rural South Australian Tri-division Adolescent Health Project

The Adolescent Health Project (AHP) was a rural pilot project aimed at strengthening the relationship between general practitioners (GPs) and adolescents within three Divisions of general practice. The evaluation assessed the implementation of the AHP model and strategies and their impact. The AHP used a centralised management/support and local delivery model. The AHP improved GP relationships and comfort with dealing with young people, and improved GP relationships with school counsellors. Divisional relationships with local schools improved. Students reported increased knowledge about GPs, increased confidence and comfort with accessing GPs. The AHP delivered a popular project to GPs, GP clinics, schools, school counsellors and students, which built the capacity of divisions, GPs, and schools to improve adolescent health care provision. Further research questions have emerged: What are the patterns of relationships between GPs and adolescents, and between GPs and school counsellors, and what strategies work best to sustain such relationships?