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Men's Health Promotion in General Practice

• Health promotion at the practice level

• Men's health promotion during the consultation

• Combining the practice and consultation levels for men's health promotion

Introduction

As part of the 1998-99 Innovations Pool, the Department of Health and Aged Care funded a two-year collaborative project between North East Valley, Northern and Melbourne Divisions of General Practice and the North East Health Promotion Centre. The project was completed in August 2001.

This project distinguished between the two different roles a GP plays in health promotion (manager of the practice and as a medical practitioner) and directed activities accordingly, at either the the practice or the consultation level.

Below is a list of the resources developed over the two years. These should be useful for anyone interested in innovative divisions of general practice projects, population health in general practice, health promotion and men's health

Health promotion at the practice level

Model of Practice Support -for a "whole of practice" approach to health promotion
This model emphasises the role of the GP as a manager of organisational systems rather than a medical practitioner. It assists GPs to identify systems that are in place and others that should be, includes an awareness-raising component and culminates in the development of a strategic Health Promotion Plan for their practice. Practice Support also includes assistance to staff, as required, in implementing the health promotion plan. This model emphasises the importance of practices developing sustainable systems that can be used for health promotion in any targeted area (eg., men's health, adolescent health, diabetes, physical activity etc).

Practice Population Survey
Part of the Practice Support Model, or used alone, this survey has been designed for practices' to survey their patients regarding their beliefs about lifestyle behaviours and health, and the types of interventions they expect from their GPs. The survey can be downloaded and customised with practice details and has an accompanying Excel program for easy data entry and analysis.

Practice Health Promotion Plans
Part of the Practice Support Model, or used alone, the Health Promotion Plan has been designed as a tool for General Practice Management Teams pursuing a health promoting practice. It is a practical tool to assist GPs and Management Teams apply the principles outlined in the RACGP's "Putting Prevention into Practice: Guidelines for the implementation of prevention in the general practice setting." The plan can be downloaded and customised to suit any practice.

Men's health promotion during the consultation

Resource kit
Men's Health Promotion during the General Practice Consultation has been designed and produced specifically for GPs. The kit provides an overview on men's health statistics, tips on engaging males as patients, a thorough checklist for a Men's Health Check-up, lists educational resources available to dispense to patients and information on community resources available for referrals.

The M Factor: Men and their health (Guest Editorial by Dr Andrew Pattison appeared in Current Therapeutics, August 2001)
This article discusses the many issues as to why there are health differences between the sexes and how GPs might better address the health of their male patients.

PowerPoint Presentation (by Dr David Oberklaid)
A slide kit detailing the issues facing GPs with men's health, the barriers and offering some solutions or ideas for a different approach.

Combining the practice and consultation levels for men's health promotion

Men's Health Promotion in General Practice: A literature review (by Justin Rowe)
A comprehensive review of the literature surrounding men's health, health promotion in general practice and men's health promotion in general practice. - "doc" (or 26 page pdf)

Providing Health Care to Men in General Practice (Guest Editorial by Darlene Henning appeared in Current Therapeutics, May 2001, 42(5), 11-14)
This article describes ways GPs as managers and clinicians may use a "whole of practice" approach to providing health care to men in their practice. It describes the systems and structures that can be put in place to facilitate an efficient and pro-active general practice. It also highlights ideas for ensuring general practices are welcoming to male patients.

PowerPoint Presentation (presented at Men Fully Alive: 4th National Men's and Boys' Health conference, University of Western Sydney, NSW, 26th -29th September, 2001)
A slide kit outlining the project as a whole will be available late September.