FCMHW PROGRAM: Digitally driven pathways to optimise use and outcomes of primary care for men
Contact: Professor Gary Wittert
Overview:
Australian men face a disproportionate burden of, and poorer outcomes for, a range of chronic physical and mental conditions. Despite higher rates of suicide, fewer men than women receive diagnoses and management for common mental health disorders. These disparities in health outcomes are often attributed, incorrectly, to men’s disinterest in their own health. Instead, evidence points to delayed care-seeking and suboptimal engagement during GP consultations.
This research aims to translate the Centre’s research into an impactful health service integration program targeting the patient-GP interface, arming men with the knowledge, motivation, and agency to recognise symptoms and health behaviours as prompts to engage with primary health care services, and providing men and GPs with tools that optimise the outcomes of that engagement.
Working with diverse groups of Australian men, we will co-develop and culturally adapt new gender-sensitised checklists to identify underdiagnosed chronic physical disease and mental health problems. With the same groups, we will also co-develop resources that empower men to seek help and facilitate their interactions with GPs. These novel tools will be delivered via an established digital platform that is compatible with national digital health infrastructure. We will co-develop and user-test the digital interface to ensure broad uptake by Australian men across cultures and levels of digital literacy.