Early Psychosis Intervention and Primary Care: A Mixed Methods Study of Family Physician Knowledge, Attitudes, Preferences, and Needs

Overview

Journal Community Ment Health J

Specialty Health Services

Date 2024 Mar 5

PMID 38441824

Authors

Brooke Carter

Rebecca Rodrigues

Jordan Edwards

Saadia Hameed Jan

Bridget L Ryan

Richard G Booth

Suzanne Archie

Kelly K Anderson

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Family physicians (FPs) play an important but underappreciated role in the pathways to care for people with early psychosis. We conducted a mixed-methods study to describe the knowledge, attitudes, preferences, and needs of FPs towards the recognition and management of early psychosis. We sent a cross-sectional postal survey to a random sample of FPs in Ontario, Canada, and conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with twenty. FPs were generally aware of important early psychosis symptoms, however, there were some knowledge gaps. Among surveyed FPs, 25% were unsure of the availability of early psychosis intervention services in their region, and most (80%) would prefer to co-manage with specialists. In the qualitative interviews, FPs expressed varied comfort levels in recognizing psychosis, and that timely access to psychiatry was a main concern. Our findings suggest that FPs require better support in recognizing and managing early psychosis and facilitating connections with specialized care.

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