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Why this public health message is equally important for GPs


Rebecca Crisp


22/07/2022 3:59:21 PM

A new campaign urging patients to reconnect with their GP also serves as a reminder for clinicians to take care of their own health.

Doctor meeting new patient.
Finding a long-term GP has been described as ‘one of the best returns on effort’ a doctor can make.

As COVID-19 case numbers rise, flu season continues and the mental health epidemic shows no signs of abating, general practice is again bearing the brunt.
 
But even though clinicians experience greater rates of psychological distress than other professionals and the general population, fewer than 40% of doctors in Australia have their own GP.
 
As a result, GPs are being encouraged to heed the message of a new public campaign reminding people of the importance of having a regular GP to address their new and ongoing physical and mental health issues.
 
Dr Cathy Andronis, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Psychological Medicine believes encouraging clinicians to have their own GP is a ‘no-brainer’.  
 
‘GPs need their own trusted GP so they can enjoy all the benefits of compassion and care,’ she told newsGP.
 
‘A health advocate, support and reassurance when you’re feeling fragile or unsure, someone who holds your medical record together, reminds you when you need a gentle preventive care nudge, completes your insurance paperwork and holds hope for you when you’re feeling hopeless.
 
‘If you don’t have this person in your life, invest a few minutes of your time. It’ll be one of the best returns on effort you make.’
 
Dr Rebekah Hoffman, who advocates the concept of ‘a GP for every doctor’, also points out that GPs carry a significant emotional load for their patients.
 
‘I don’t think we really learn what to do with those big feelings that come with being a GP, because in the room it’s just you and your patient,’ she previously told newsGP.
 
‘[We] either don’t deal with it or deal with it in negative ways.
 
‘I think the wider doctor community needs to know that if you have a mental health illness, or essentially any illness, get a GP – don’t treat yourself.’
 
The ‘Reconnect with your GP’ campaign, a joint initiative between the RACGP and the Victorian Government, aims to steer people back to their GP or to begin a relationship with a new GP using healthdirect.
 
It also reminds patients that GPs are the experts best placed to support them, and focuses on blood pressure checks, mental health, breast screening, heart health, diabetes and more.
 
Dr Hoffman acknowledges there are barriers holding doctors back from having their own GP, but nonetheless believes the time and effort spent overcoming these obstacles is worth it.
 
‘[Hesitancy] comes down to a number of things, at a systems level and at a fear-of-being-reported-to-AHPRA level,’ she said.
 
‘[But] I think having a doctor is like any type of relationship; you’ll go along to the first date and they may not be the right person for you … it might take two or three doctors until you find someone who is going to be your “forever doctor”.
 
‘There are [also] telehealth services that are able to provide a rural doctors service, and DHAS are able to provide that service for doctors when they’re in need, especially from a mental health perspective, so I guess it’s just knowing about those services.’
 
Aside from the above services, the RACGP has a GP wellbeing program members can access, while DRS4DRS provides specific support for doctors and medical students, including a confidential telehealth service.
 
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