Small groups for supporting GPs' professional development in mental health disease--an evaluation

Small groups provide opportunities for education, information sharing, development of clinical skills and peer support. They have been promoted in general practice in Australia, especially for mental health disease, and often by divisions of general practice.

Minutes from a series of small groups supervised by psychiatrists were analysed to observe the content and themes over 5 years. Additionally, focus groups of general practitioner participants were asked to comment on what they found most valuable.

Forty-two GPs attended small groups (mean size 2-3) over 3 years, about half for 10-49 sessions. The most discussed diseases were depression (most frequently at 157 times), psychosis (137), personality disorders (79), drug and alcohol abuse (73), anxiety disorders (68) and suicide (42). Discussion of doctor-patient interpersonal and doctor self care issues increased from under 2% of all statements in 1995 to nearly 10% in 2000. Participating GPs found the small groups empowering, confidence increasing, and useful for addressing psychological and interpersonal issues at work.

Participating GPs found small groups useful and provided helpful recommendations based on their experiences.