"Not doing it justice": Perspectives of Recent Family Medicine Graduates on Mental Health and Addictions Training in Residency

OBJECTIVES

Family physicians report feeling inadequately prepared to meet the evolving mental health care needs of the population. Little scholarship exists evaluating the effectiveness of curricula designed to teach mental health and addiction (MH&A) care to family medicine (FM) residents. As such, the purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of recent FM residency graduates in providing mental health care, and their perceptions of mental health training gaps during their residencies.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive study design was conducted by 8 recent graduates of the University of Toronto's FM residency program, who participated in semi-structured video interviews. A thematic analysis approach was used to collect and analyze the data.

RESULTS

Through thematic analysis, 3 overarching themes were developed: (1) barriers in providing mental health and addiction care, (2) curriculum renewal, and (3) the role of FPs and professional identity. Consistent with the literature, the majority of recent FM graduates expressed discomfort when managing patients with mental health and addiction concerns. Additionally, participants perceived residency program time constraints, rotational site differences, and limited exposure to marginalized populations all impacted learning and mastery of skills.

CONCLUSION

The findings of this study underscore current gaps within the FM residency curriculum and highlight the need to address current curricular deficits.

Health system use among patients with mental health conditions in a community based sample in Toronto, Canada: A retrospective cohort study

Objective

To identify hospital and primary care health service use among people with mental health conditions or addictions in an integrated primary-secondary care database in Toronto, Ontario.

Method

This was a retrospective cohort study of adults with mental health diagnoses using data from the Health Databank Collaborative (HDC), a primary care-hospital linked database in Toronto. Data were included up to March 31^st 2019. Negative binomial and logistic regression were used to evaluate associations between health care utilization and various patient characteristics and mental health diagnoses.

Results

28,482 patients age 18 or older were included. The adjusted odds of at least one mental health diagnosis were higher among younger patients (18–30 years vs. 81+years aOR = 1.87; 95% CI:1.68–2.08) and among female patients (aOR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.27–1.42). Patients with one or more mental health diagnoses had higher adjusted rates of hospital visits compared to those without any mental health diagnosis including addiction (aRR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.58–1.91) and anxiety (aRR = 1.28, 95% CI: 1.23–1.32). 14.5% of patients with a psychiatric diagnosis were referred to the hospital for specialized psychiatric services, and 38% of patients referred were eventually seen in consultation. The median wait time from the date of referral to the date of consultation was 133 days.

Conclusions

In this community, individuals with mental health diagnoses accessed primary and hospital-based health care at greater rates than those without mental health diagnoses. Wait times for specialized psychiatric care were long and most patients who were referred did not have a consultation. Information about services for patients with mental health conditions can be used to plan and monitor more integrated care across sectors, and ultimately improve outcomes.

Exploring the primary care experiences of adult patients with eating disorders: a qualitative analysis

Eating disorders (EDs) are severe psychological conditions, often requiring specialized treatment. Patients with EDs generally first present in primary care before being referred to tertiary centres. Evidence suggests that family physicians do not identify most patients with clinical EDs. The objective of this study was to explore the primary care experiences of adult patients with EDs. Ten individual, semi-structured interviews with adult women with an ED were conducted. A qualitative descriptive approach was adopted using thematic analysis. The researchers identified codes, which were categorized into five major themes: 1) disparate patient experiences in primary care, 2) delayed diagnosis, 3) key family physician qualities for ED care, 4) individual and systemic barriers to recovery, and 5) patient needs in primary care. Most participants reported that their diagnosis was not timely, suggesting a need for improved screening and diagnostic procedures. Inconsistent treatment practices imply that family physicians would benefit from the development of standardized guidelines for ED diagnosis and treatment in primary care as well as additional training in ED care. Family physicians being empathic and nonjudgmental and facilitating access to resources are of particular importance to this patient population.