DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT PRACTICES FOLLOWING GHQ FEEDBACK

Doctors who examined the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) scores of their patients at feedback had significant (w= 24, n= 6, p<0.05) in crease in their tendency to rate the problems of their patients as des erving of treatment. For these doctors the severity rating rose by an average of 18% following feedback. The number and types of diagnosis c ategories used were similar among doctors within centres but differed between practices. Counselling was the main form of treatment for psyc hological disorders in the study sites. However, there was a paradoxic al reduction in counselling and a rise in psychotropic drug prescripti on with feedback. When a case was identified as a result of the feedba ck interview, GHQ was significantly likely (X-2= 24, 15, df 6, p<0.01) to be described as 'useful', but the instrument was likely (X-2= 21.5 2, df 6, p<0.01) to be described as 'not useful' if the case was previ ously known to the doctor. The implications were high-lighted.