Management of work-related common mental disorders in general practice: a cross-sectional study
Background: General practitioners (GPs) often manage individuals with work-related common mental disorders (CMD: depressive disorders, anxiety and alcohol abuse). However, little is known about the ways in which they proceed. The aim of this study is to analyze GPs’ management and patterns of referral to other health professionals of patients with work-related CMD and associated factors.
Method: We used data from a cross-sectional study of 2 027 working patients of 121 GPs in the Nord – Pas-de-Calais region in France (April – August 2014). Statistical analyses focused on patients with work-related CMD detected by the GP and examined the ways in which GPs managed these patients’ symptoms. Associations between patient, work, GP and contextual characteristics and GPs’ management were explored using modified Poisson regression models with robust variance.
Results: Among the 533 patients with work-related CMD in the study, GPs provided psychosocial support to 88.0%, prescribed psychotropic treatment to 82.4% and put 50.7% on sick leave. Referral rates to mental health specialists and occupational physicians were respectively 39.8% and 26.1%. Several factors including patients’ characteristics (occupational and sociodemographic), GPs’ characteristics and environmental data were associated with the type of management used by the GP.
Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the major and often lonesome role of the GP in the management of patients with work-related CMDs. Better knowledge of the way GPs manage those patients could help GPs in their practice, improve patients care and be a starting point to implement a more collaborative care approach.
Posted 19 Jun, 2020
On 02 Jul, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 21 May, 2020
Received 18 May, 2020
Received 02 Feb, 2020
On 29 Jan, 2020
On 27 Jan, 2020
Invitations sent on 22 Jan, 2020
On 10 Dec, 2019
On 09 Dec, 2019
On 08 Dec, 2019
On 03 Oct, 2019
Received 01 Oct, 2019
Received 09 Sep, 2019
On 05 Sep, 2019
Invitations sent on 04 Sep, 2019
On 04 Sep, 2019
On 20 Aug, 2019
On 19 Aug, 2019
On 16 Aug, 2019
Management of work-related common mental disorders in general practice: a cross-sectional study
Posted 19 Jun, 2020
On 02 Jul, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 18 Jun, 2020
On 21 May, 2020
Received 18 May, 2020
Received 02 Feb, 2020
On 29 Jan, 2020
On 27 Jan, 2020
Invitations sent on 22 Jan, 2020
On 10 Dec, 2019
On 09 Dec, 2019
On 08 Dec, 2019
On 03 Oct, 2019
Received 01 Oct, 2019
Received 09 Sep, 2019
On 05 Sep, 2019
Invitations sent on 04 Sep, 2019
On 04 Sep, 2019
On 20 Aug, 2019
On 19 Aug, 2019
On 16 Aug, 2019
Background: General practitioners (GPs) often manage individuals with work-related common mental disorders (CMD: depressive disorders, anxiety and alcohol abuse). However, little is known about the ways in which they proceed. The aim of this study is to analyze GPs’ management and patterns of referral to other health professionals of patients with work-related CMD and associated factors.
Method: We used data from a cross-sectional study of 2 027 working patients of 121 GPs in the Nord – Pas-de-Calais region in France (April – August 2014). Statistical analyses focused on patients with work-related CMD detected by the GP and examined the ways in which GPs managed these patients’ symptoms. Associations between patient, work, GP and contextual characteristics and GPs’ management were explored using modified Poisson regression models with robust variance.
Results: Among the 533 patients with work-related CMD in the study, GPs provided psychosocial support to 88.0%, prescribed psychotropic treatment to 82.4% and put 50.7% on sick leave. Referral rates to mental health specialists and occupational physicians were respectively 39.8% and 26.1%. Several factors including patients’ characteristics (occupational and sociodemographic), GPs’ characteristics and environmental data were associated with the type of management used by the GP.
Conclusion: Our study emphasizes the major and often lonesome role of the GP in the management of patients with work-related CMDs. Better knowledge of the way GPs manage those patients could help GPs in their practice, improve patients care and be a starting point to implement a more collaborative care approach.