Brief Report Early intervention service for psychosis: views from primary care Laoise Renwick, 1 Blanaid Gavin, 1 Nicola McGlade, 1 Paul Lacey, 2 Ray Goggins, 3 Deirdre Jackson, 1 Niall Turner, 1 Sharon Foley, 1 Stephen McWilliams, 1 Caragh Behan, 1 Elizabeth Lawlor, 1 Walter Cullen, 4 and Eadbhard O’Callaghan 1,5 1 DETECT, Avila House, Block 5, Blackrock Business Park, Blackrock, Co Dublin, and 2 Dun Laoghaire Surgery, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, and 3 St. Senan’s Hospital, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford, and 4 Department of General Practice, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, and 5 Department of Adult Psychiatry, Hospitaller Order of St. John of God, Dept of Psychiatry University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland Corresponding author: Professor Eadbhard O’Callaghan, DETECT, Avila House, Block 5, Blackrock Business Park, Carysfort Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin, Ireland. Email: eadbhard.ocallaghan@detect.ie Disclosure: The authors have no financial links with industry. Funding: The study was funded by the Hospitaller Order of St. John of God and the Health Service Executive Received 22 February 2008; accepted 28 July 2008 Abstract Aim: Although General Practitioners (GPs) have a pivotal role in early detection and treatment of psychosis, there is sparse information on their views of early intervention (EI) ser- vices and how information related to EI should be delivered. Method: Since inception, DETECT (Dublin East Treatment and Early Care Team), Ireland’s pilot EI project, mailed information packs and pro- vided information through the local GP continuing medical education (CME) network. After 1 year, we sur- veyed GPs within DETECT’s catch- ment area for their views on the service being provided. Results: One hundred and twenty-six (36%) responded and 80% found the EI service very/extremely useful. GPs reported that the combination of CME session and information packs were more useful than information packs alone. Those who attended CME meetings were significantly more likely to refer suspected cases (P < 0.01) and more likely to find the service useful (P < 0.001). Conclusion: The EI service for psy- chosis is well-received among GPs. Information about EI delivered through CME appears to have a greater impact on referral rates and satisfaction levels than mailed information. Key words: continuing medical education, early detection, general practice, psychosis. INTRODUCTION For many people with a first episode of psychosis, a General Practitioner (GP) is their first point of contact with the healthcare system. Consequently, some have proposed that working closely with GPs may help to reduce the duration of untreated psychosis. 1,2 A recent randomized, controlled trial from the UK found that GP education within the setting of an early intervention (EI) service was indeed effective in reducing duration of untreated psychosis (DUP). 3 However, in some countries, many GPs do not have formal postgraduate training in psychiatry, and even if they have such training, an individual GP can expect to see only one to two cases of suspected first-episode psychosis each year. 4 Many of the leading EI services have initiated pro- grammes to work more closely with GPs in a manner suitable for their particular healthcare system (Aus- tralia, Canada, UK, New Zealand and Singapore). Although there is evidence that GPs are interested in such interventions, 4,5 there is a dearth of literature on GPs perspectives of such services. We sought to establish GPs’ views of an EI service in Ireland, their preferences about how information on early psychosis should be delivered and whether the manner of delivery influenced referral. Early Intervention in Psychiatry 2008; 2: 285–290 doi:10.1111/j.1751-7893.2008.00090.x © 2008 The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd 285