| Project Objectives / Summary:
The seeding grant was to fund exploration of the benefits of a Drug & Alcohol Network supporting Methadone Prescribing Practitioners. This network, DAGnet would identify methods to recruit GPs to methadone prescribing through offering peer and other supports.
Research in this project focused on the following areas:
- GPs and Drug & Alcohol (D&A) work
- Methadone
- The new pharmacotherapies
- Other drugs
- Marketing
- Drug policy
A Drug and Alcohol Advisory Group was formed to address the project issues.
Project Outcomes:
Confirmation of the benefits of methadone in fighting the drug problem.
Concern over the tendering process for service provision by Drug Treatment Services.
In the area of drug and alcohol, deinstitutionalisation has led to an increase in complexity of D&A cases at the general practice level, particularly through concomitant presentation of mental health issues and general welfare issues.
It was considered that GP representative bodies such as AMA, RACGP and Divisions of General Practice have not been sufficiently vocal when it comes to Drug and Alcohol issues.
The power of a solo GP treating D&A patients is limited by their lack of collective representation on advisory boards and decision making bodies in regards to the D&A arena.
Drug and Alcohol work may have disruptive influences on a General Practice's business.
Recommendations:
- That a Community Methadone Clinic, integrated with an overall local health plan be established.
- The need for GPs to be involved in primary health care in the Drug and Alcohol field.
Disseminating Project Information:
APSAD Conference, 8th -10th November 1999 Canberra
Lessons / Assessment:
- GPs are reluctant to be involved in Drug and Alcohol work even though they are well placed as primary carers to provide these services.
- Not enough GPs working in D&A with only 600 prescribers in Australia and shortages in rural areas.
- Many GPs find the current payment system inadequate, considering the lengthy and difficult consultations and amount of unpaid work making phone calls and consulting other health workers. This may change with use of the Enhanced Primary Care Items.
- The Division submitted a funding application for the Round Two of the Innovations Funding Pool but was not successful. However, the project identified relevant issues which add to the bank of knowledge and understanding of the issue.
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