192151 - Improving outcomes for patients with a work-related mental health condition

The activity will update attendees on Clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of work related mental health condition and discuss how GPs can apply these guidelines to improve patient safety and achieve better patient outcomes. Presenters will also touch base complex childhood trauma and its role in development of Mental Health condition in some patients.

Recent research conducted by Monash University has found that GPs provide sub-optimal care for people with work-related mental health conditions. This work showed that 94% of initial GP certificates for mental health claims recommend patients as unfit for work. Some of the clinical challenges that GPs faced included initial assessment and diagnostic difficulties because of the invisibility of mental health injuries; establishing whether a mental health condition developed as a consequence of work; conflicting medical opinions between GPs and specialists, GPs and medical panels and GPs and patients about the cause, severity, treatment and prognosis of mental health conditions; the development of secondary mental health conditions after an initial compensable injury; and predicting when patients should return to work and recommending alternative duties.

D1. Communication skills and the patient-doctor relationship

D2. Applied professional knowledge and skills

D3. Population health and the context of general practice

D4. Professional and ethical role

D5. Organisational and legal dimensions

• Adult health
• Psychological health
• General practice research

Summit Health

RTWSA

25/02/2020

Summit Health, 85 Wellington Road, Mount Barker