Practice nurses as case managers in a collaborative care model for managing depression among patients with heart disease or diabetes : The D_TECT and TrueBlue studies in primary care

A successful feasibility study called D_TECT (Depression Treatment Evaluation Care Team) used a collaborative approach to detect, monitor and treat depression among patients with existing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) or coronary heart disease (CHD) in primary care. It was developed by the Greater Green Triangle Department of Rural Health and conducted in general practices in rural areas. The model mobilised existing resources and funding paths available in general practice, including general practitioners, practice nurses and existing Medicare-funded enhanced primary care items

What works in General Practice to improve outcomes in multimorbidity - the TrueBlue method

APHCRI Conversations was a regular program of presentations held at the Department of Health to facilitate exchange between APHCRI Network researchers and Department policymakers. Topics are developed jointly with the Department of Health and involve a range of speakers from APHCRI, including CRE invited experts, CRE Chief Investigators and stream project Chief Investigator

Enablers and barriers to accessing mental health services for adults with high prevalence psychological disorders in South West Victoria

Knowing what services are available and how to access them can be challenging in rural areas. The aim of the South West Mental Health Mapping project was to identify the level, accessibility and effectiveness of mental health services for high prevalence psychological disorders amongst the adult population in the South West region of Victoria. This study includes data from a number of sources: regional records of the number and location of health professionals; a telephone survey of 1297 people in five Local Government Areas in the region; and a social network analysis of contact points. Additional qualitative interviews and surveys were conducted with 25 service recipients and 37 health professionals to identify issues from different perspective. This paper will focus on the social network analysis of the project. It highlights the relative prominence of each type of service provider within the overall network. The social network map shows the centrality of the General Practitioner and the wide range of agencies that become involved in supporting people with mental health issues. The discussion identifies primary contact points for people seeking help and places of referral. The main barrier acknowledged by people requiring assistance was lack of knowledge about where to go for help. Enablers included Medicare Better Access funded schemes. The findings show that there is a reasonable range of mental health professionals across the region, although there are challenges with recruitment and retention of staff. Even with available services, a major problem is communicating this information to potential consumer

MyHealth : managing complex multimorbidity in general practice

Evaluative trial a Patient Safety Collaborative conducted in 10 high performing practices, and develop a manual for a collaborative on multi-morbidity.The research reported in this paper is a project of the Australian Primary Health Care Research Institute which is supported by a grant from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing under the Primary Health Care Research Evaluation and Development Strategy