GENERAL-PRACTICE RECEPTIONISTS ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS TOWARDS PREVENTIVE MEDICINE BEFORE AND AFTER TRAINING AND SUPPORT INTERVENTIONS

Objectives. Receptionists are an integral part of the primary care ser vice. We aimed to discover their views on preventive medicine issues. Method. One hundred and fifty receptionists from general practices in Sydney, Australia, completed a questionnaire on their attitudes and be liefs towards preventive medicine and brief intervention for alcohol. They were matched according to practice variables into a control, no, minimal, or maximal training and support condition. In all conditions except the control condition, receptionists received 5 minutes of init ial training in implementing a brief intervention programme; the amoun t of ongoing support varied across conditions. Attitudes and beliefs w ere re-assessed 3 months later. Results and conclusions. The results i ndicated that when no training and support were given, receptionists d eveloped negative views towards being involved in preventive medicine activities. When training and support were provided, these negative ef fects were abolished.