A defence-focused mental health curriculum for GPs: a Delphi study

Area of Science:

• Military Medicine
• Occupational Health
• Psychiatry

Background:

• Defence General Practitioners (DGPs) have an expanded role beyond NHS GPs, encompassing clinical leadership, emergency medicine, and force health protection.
• Their unique responsibilities necessitate specialized training in mental health (MH).

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a tailored mental health (MH) curriculum specifically for Defence General Practitioners (DGPs).

Main Methods:

• A two-step approach was employed, involving DGPs and Defence psychiatrists.
• A draft curriculum was created using Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) guidance and Defence-specific policies.
• A Delphi process was utilized to achieve consensus on the final curriculum.

Main Results:

• A 43-point curriculum with seven learning objectives (LOs) and associated training objectives (TOs) was finalized.
• The Delphi process involved multiple rounds with varying response rates, culminating in agreement on the objectives.
• The agreed-upon objectives define the expected competencies for DGPs in managing mental health issues.

Conclusions:

• The developed DGP MH curriculum is distinct from the standard RCGP curriculum.
• This specialized curriculum will improve the education and training of DGPs in mental health.
• It aims to enhance the provision of mental health treatment services within Defence.