The findings suggest that parents and service providers perceive FCP as positive at Novita, with some areas for improvement. The MPOC-20 and MPOC-SP can be used to measure FCP and to identify service delivery gaps, which warrant further exploration.

No abstract

A challenge facing general practice is improving the diagnosis, management and care of people with dementia. Training and education for primary care professionals about knowledge and attitudes about dementia is needed. Online resources can provide educational opportunities for health professionals with limited access to dementia training. An online educational resource (four modules over 3 h) was designed to assist primary care practitioners to develop a systematic framework to identify, diagnose and manage patients with dementia within their practice. Interviews and questionnaires (knowledge, attitudes, confidence and behavioural intentions), with practice nurses and international medical graduates working in general practices, were used to evaluate the resource. Participants’ knowledge, confidence and attitudes about dementia increased after completing the modules. Participants had strong intentions to apply a systematic framework to identify and manage dementia. In post-module interviews, participants reported increased awareness, knowledge and confidence in assessing and managing people with dementia, corroborating the questionnaire results. This project has demonstrated some early changes in clinical behaviour around dementia care in general practice. Promoting the value of applying a systematic framework with colleagues and co-workers could increase awareness of, and participation in, dementia assessment by other primary care professionals within general practices.

Objective: To examine case studies of good practice in intersectoral action for health as one part of evaluating comprehensive primary health care in six sites in South Australia and the Northern Territory. Methods:Interviews with primary health care workers, collaborating agency staff and service users (Total N=33); augmented by relevant documents from the services and collaborating partners. Results:The value of intersectoral action for health and the importance of partner relationships to primary health care services were both strongly endorsed. Factors facilitating intersectoral action included sufficient human and financial resources, diverse backgrounds and skills and the personal rewards that sustain commitment. Key constraining factors were financial and time limitations, and a political and policy context which has become less supportive of intersectoral action; including changes to primary health care. Conclusions:While intersectoral action is an effective way for primary health care services to address social determinants of health, commitment to social justice and to adopting a social view of health are constrained by a broader health service now largely reinforcing a biomedical model. Implications:Effective organisational practices and policies are needed to address social determinants of health in primary health care and to provide a supportive context for workers engaging in intersectoral action.