title: [Clinical skills of Chilean general practitioners for the management of depressive disorders].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Diverse and sustained efforts have been developed to improve the management of depression by general practitioners (GPs), but they have not improved treatment coverage and quality of services.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the level of knowledge and clinical skills to diagnose and treat depression by GPs in Primary Health Care (PHC) in the Metropolitan Area of Santiago de Chile (RM).
  
  
  METHODS
  Theoretical knowledge (TK), diagnostic skills (DS) and treatment skills (TS) were evaluated in 56 GPs of the RM with a battery of specially designed instruments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In TK there were significant differences between GPs aged 31 years or less and their older counterparts and between Chilean and foreign doctors. Five percent of observed differences in TK were explained by age and nationality, respectively. Chilean GPs achieved higher scores in recognition of symptoms (RS), one of the dimensions of DS. No significant differences by age or nationality were observed for DS and TS.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Achievement of GPs on tests measuring TK, DS, and TS was generally below 50%. This deficiency should be improved.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Acuña
authors.forename: Karina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rdz-Navarro
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Huepe
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Botto
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cárcamo
authors.forename: Juan Pablo
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jiménez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002677:Chile; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011320:Primary Health Care; D058996:Quality Improvement