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Improving the management of patients with schizophrenia in primary care: assessing learning needs as a first step
J Toews1, J Lockyer, D Addington
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Calgary, Alberta.
Objective:
To assess family physician learning needs related to the care of patients with schizophrenia.
Methods:
Questionnaires were mailed to all family physicians and general practitioners practising in southern Alberta. Physicians were asked to indicate the number of patients with schizophrenia cared for, their interest in improving the care the provided, their preferred learning methods, and the content they wished to learn.
Results:
A total of 539 surveys were returned for a return rate of 43.8%. Over half of the physicians (53.5%) indicated that they saw 1 to 2 patients with schizophrenia each month. Almost half (48.5%) indicated they were somewhat or very interested in increasing the care provided. Primary learning needs included increasing their knowledge of psychopharmacologic agents and monitoring and adjusting medications. Lectures and half-day workshops were the preferred learning methods.
Conclusion:
Our study was helpful in identifying the types of education that physicians wanted as well as the duration of the programming prior to the development of teaching interventions.