title: Care of long-term mentally ill patients by British general practitioners.
abstract: In the United Kingdom, patients gain access to psychiatric care through general practitioners (GPs). The first of three studies conducted to assess the role of GPs in managing patients with long-term mental illness found that such patients were unevenly distributed in general practices and that GPs preferred to care for them in collaboration with psychiatric specialists. A more detailed study of 16 general practices yielded information on characteristics and care of long-term mentally ill patients, including a high rate of GP consultations for them. A third, controlled study examined the impact of teaching GPs to provide a structured assessment of long-term mentally ill patients every six months; after the intervention, only a small number of patients actually received such assessments.
authors.affiliation: St. George's Hospital Medical School, London, England.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kendrick
mesh_terms: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D010819:Physician's Role; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011570:Psychiatry; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents