Biskopsgården Primary health care center

1. Patients’ experience of being triaged directly to a psychologist in Primary care when the reason for contact is mental health issues: A qualitative study Linda DahlöfClinPsy, Anna SimonssonClinPsy, Jörgen Thorn MD, PhD, Maria EH Larsson RPT, PhDPrimary Health Care, Region VästraGötaland

2. Biskopsgården Primaryhealthcare center Primary Care Triage • Increaseaccessibility • Healthcare on the correct professionallevel; nurse, physiotherapist, physician, psychologist • A nurse-ledsorting system based on symptoms

3. Purpose Patients´ experience of being triaged directly to a psychologist for assessment Three domains: 1) contacting the PHCC for mental health issues 2) being booked to a psychologist by a nurse 3) the assessment by the psychologist

4. Method • 20 semi-structured interviews • Thematic qualitative content analysis • Categories were abstracted into three themes

5. Results

6. Appreciating quick access as seeking help is demanding

7. I constantly had precisely those feelings – she might think that I´m silly to have come there at all.

8. For me that felt good. It would feel unnecessary to have to talk to somebody else first to see if one would fit to go to a psychologist…

9. The nurse responds to the patient´s own intention

10. I wanted to talk to a psychologist, that was why I called, after that I didn´t really have many expectations, I didn´t really know how it worked, I had just heard that there were psychologists at this health care center

11. Relief and disappointment when diverse expectations meet the structured assessment

12. ….there was not a lot of in-between time so, well it didn´t feel like I was somehow intruding on something else… there was time here and that time was for me (…) I was happy to get there so soon and be taken seriously and then to take space…

13. …it all became a little bit too much DSM…eh…if you are familiar with the term?

14. Whatwas not found • No surprise or disappointment about being sorted directly to a psychologist instead of a physician

15. Primary Care Triage:

16. Primary Care Triage: ~ Patients appreciate quick and easy access to a psychologist at the PHCC

17. Primary Care Triage: ~ Patients appreciate quick and easy access to a psychologist at the PHCC ~Triage more guided by patient than nurse

18. Primary Care Triage: ~ Patients appreciate quick and easy access to a psychologist at the PHCC ~Triage more guided by patient than nurse ~ First assessment sometimes contradicts what patients expect from a psychologist