The evaluation of a model of primary mental health care in rural Tasmania

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a primary care mental health service. Design: The study used a naturalistic longitudinal design to follow groups of participants who received intervention from a rural mental health worker, or 'usual' mental health service, or no treatment, over a period of 12 months. Setting: The service was evaluated in a rural primary care setting. Participants: One hundred and forty-five primary care patients. Outcome measures: Changes in symptomatology were assessed using the SCL-90R summary scales, and changes in quality of life were assessed using the EuroQOL. Results: Those participants treated by the primary mental health worker showed significant improvements in symptoms and quality of life compared to both the usual and no-treatment groups. Conclusion: There are few studies evaluating mental health services in rural settings. This study demonstrated that a particular model of primary mental health care was more effective than usual mental health care and no treatment at resolving symptoms and improving quality of life.