[GPs' assessment of the reform of the psychotherapy guideline].

BACKGROUND

General practitioners play a key role in caring for people with mental disorders. In most cases, they are the first point of contact within the healthcare system. They often coordinate referrals for psychotherapeutic treatment. Accordingly, the reform of the Psychotherapy Directive (2017), which introduced psychotherapeutic consultations as a new service, has had a direct impact on general practitioners. This article aims to reflect general practitioners' assessment of this reform.

METHODS

As part of the project 'Evaluation of the Psychotherapy Guideline', a standardized cross-sectional survey of 3,400 general practitioners in the statutory health insurance system was conducted. The survey was analyzed descriptively.

RESULTS

Out of a total of 256 general practitioners who participated in the survey, 72.7% of participants were aged 51 or over, and 53.8% were female. While most general practitioners said that the waiting time for a psychotherapy consultation was 4 weeks or more, around two-thirds also said that it took 9 weeks or more to start guideline-based therapy. Only a few saw an improvement in the situation after the reform.

CONCLUSION

From the perspective of general practitioners, there is still potential for improvement in patients' access to psychotherapeutic care. Additionally, communication regarding patient pathways could be improved, as general practitioners report receiving feedback from only around a quarter of patients after the consultation.