E-mental health in primary care: Evaluation of the current practice and future needs to support the general practitioners.

2016

General Practitioners (GPs) have a significant role in the provision of primary mental health care in Canada however, there is evidence to suggest that the current health care system does not provide the appropriate support for GPs to perform this task. 

E-mental health is defined as “mental health services and information delivered or enhanced through the Internet and related technologies”. Evidence has shown e-mental health has the potential to reduce barriers to mental health care for patients and support GPs in primary care to provide more effective mental health care. The Government of Canada mandated that the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC), develop the Mental Health Strategy for Canada, in which the MHCC identified e-mental health as an important area for development and innovation in mental health however more work is needed to understand the applications of e-health in general practice settings. 

Building on the work leading researchers and experts in the area of e-mental health, this study, conducted in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, will determine GPs readiness for e-mental health tools in primary care, identify good practice and how such tools and resources can be implemented in general practice.

Research Partners:

Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

Institute of Mental Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.

Contact Info:

Patrick Lombardo patrick.lombardo@sfu.ca