[Letting the treating physicians speak].
OBJECTIVE
Quality assessment in consultation and liaison psychiatry (CLP) is extremely difficult and must take into account numerous factors. The general practitioner (GP) of the patients seen by CL psychiatrists seems an essential factor to be considered in evaluating CL work. However, as far as we know, no study is doing so. Therefore, we have implied the GP to assess our CL work at the hospital St-Loup-Orbe.


METHODS
We put up a qualitative study consisting of semi-structured interviews with 18 GPs caring for 45 patients having been submitted to a psychiatric CL intervention. Furthermore, we invited the GPs to assesses CLP as a specialization as well as CLP practiced at St-Loup-Orbe hospital.


RESULTS
Impact is judged by the GPs with regard to the total number as: highly favorable> favorable> indifferent> negative. The GPs' critiques, whether positive or negative, are highly informative.


CONCLUSIONS
GPs accept favorably CLP interventions and consider them on the whole as constructive. On the other hand, they are not sufficiently considered as partners during their patients' hospital stay. Furthermore, CLP must evaluate its impact at distance from the consultation and take into account the GPs' assessments to improve CL quality.
Policlinique Universitaire de Psychogériatrie et Consultation de la Mémoire, Lausanne. A.vGunten@ion.ucl.ac.uk
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von Gunten
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Villoz
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D010348:Patient Care Team; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D011570:Psychiatry / Q000592:standards*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000592:standards*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland