The need for disability awareness training among rurally based Australian general medical practitioners

This project followed a needs analysis of people with disabilities living in rural and remote areas of New South Wales, Australia, in which consumers (people with disabilities and their carers or closest person) argued that there was an urgent need for disability awareness training for rurally based general medical practitioners (GPs). The project reported here explored the perceptions of rurally based GPs to determine whether they also perceived a need for disability awareness training. It also explored GPs' awareness and use of referral services available within their communities. Information gathered through questionnaires was used by a discussion group to develop recommendations. These support the need for disability awareness training for GPs at both undergraduate and in-service levels, and include strategies for providing information to rurally based professionals on an ongoing and regular basis in order to address the difficulties they experience in keeping up to date on issues associated with disability.