Teaching children’s mental health to family physicians in rural and underserviced areas

Objective To evaluate a curriculum for teaching family physicians (FPs) in rural and underserviced areas about children’s mental health, and to evaluate a collaborative model of teaching using child psychiatrists and FPs. Methods A child psychiatrist and a rural FP provided training to rural FPs in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and disruptive behaviour disorders (DBDs). Training consisted of a half-day workshop in 11 communities located in southwestern Ontario. Workshops included didactic teaching, observation of standardized videos demonstrating interviewing skills, and interactive discussion. Participants completed pre- and posttraining questionnaires about their confidence in managing these conditions, and completed standardized questionnaires on the effectiveness of the workshop and videos. One month after the training, participants were randomly assigned to receive individual interviews. Three months later 2 questionnaires were mailed to participants for evaluation of their confidence after their training and for evaluation of the impact on their practice. Results Fifty-six FPs attended the workshops and, of these, 80% completed the study. Family physicians reported improved confidence in their abilities to diagnose and treat ADHD and DBDs after the training. Conclusion Didactic presentations by child psychiatrists and FPs, followed by video examples of interviewing skills, and informal discussions with small groups, was found to be an effective curriculum for teaching rural FPs about children’s mental health.