[Educational outreach visits. Choice of strategy for interviewing general practitioners].
BACKGROUND
The clinical behaviour of General Practitioners (GPs) can best be influenced by identifying their incitements and barriers in the first place. The purpose of this paper was to describe a model for the outreach visits, in which the purpose was to facilitate and evaluate the desired changes in the clinical behaviour of the GPs. We demonstrate the usefulness and workability of the model as a tool to be used in future implementations.


METHODS
A total of 41 GPs in the Counties of Aarhus and Vejle participated in the spring of 2000 in an advanced educational programme about how to diagnose and treat patients with functional disorders. All participating GPs received an invitation for a six-month follow-up visit. The purpose of the follow-up visit was to facilitate and evaluate their educational benefits and experience in using psychiatric rating scales. The strategy of the visit was to structure the dialogue with reference to identifying incitements and barriers and to emphasize their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats in connection with the change of their clinical behaviour.


RESULTS
Thirty-eight (93%) of the GPs participated in the follow-up outreach visits. The chosen strategy proved to be useful in primary care settings. We identified several areas in which the motivation of the GPs and their possibilities to implement the desired behavioural changes could be strengthened.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that the incitements and barriers of the GPs to change their clinical behaviour can be identified using the strategy described. We suggest that the strategy should form part of the development and evaluation of outreach visits in Denmark.
Christensen
Kaj Sparle
KS
Arhus Universitetshospital, Forskningsenheden for Funktionelle Lidelser, Aarhus Universitet, Forskningsenheden for Almen Medicin, Vejle Amt, Kvalitetsudviklingsudvalget Q2.
Rosendal
Marianne
M
Nielsen
Jette Møller
JM
Kallerup
Hans E S
HE
Olesen
Frede
F
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003718:Denmark; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000193:education*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011602:Psychophysiologic Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
Det personlige efteruddannelsesbesøg. Valg af strategi for mødet med den praktiserende laege.