Radiologist assessment of PACS user interface devices.

Introduction: The process of radiologic interpretation has been revolutionized with the adoption of filmless imaging. Despite the radical change in viewing techniques and a rapidly expanding array of display, navigation, and manipulation tools, the keyboard-and-mouse configuration remains the standard for user interaction during radiologic interpretation.

Method: In this study, 6 readers evaluated 6 alternative user interface devices (UIDs), including 5-button and 8-button mice, a gyroscopic mouse, a multimedia controller, a handheld mouse-and-keyboard combination device, and a gaming joystick.

Rural Integrated Primary Care Psychiatry Programme: a systems approach to education, training and service integration.

Objective: To describe the development of a rural primary care psychiatry programme, within a stepped collaborative care model.

Conclusion: Development of a system-wide approach to the provision of mental health services offers the opportunity to increase the proportion of people with mental health problems who receive effective treatment. In addition, it enables allocation of resources and matching of interventions to patient preference and clinical need.

Training case managers to deliver focused psychological strategies.

Anxiety and mood disorders are prevalent in the Australian community and can be functionally disabling. Access to treatment for these disorders can be difficult, particularly in rural areas where there is limited availability of specialist mental health practitioners such as psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. One way to address this problem is to improve the skills of local mental health practitioners in recognizing and providing treatment for these disorders.

First year of practice visits for the Rural Depression Anxiety Research and Treatment General Practice program.

Objective: To describe the first 12 months activities of a key component of a General Practice Psychiatry program - the GP practice visit.

Design: Questionnaire to evaluate effects on participating general practitioners practice.

Setting: Rural group general practices.