The Initial Assessment and Referral Decision Support Tool (IAR-DST) is a new resource designed to support health professionals assess or estimate the mental health care needs of their patients within a primary care setting. By using a standardised, evidence-based tool to categorise mental health levels, patients can be connected to the most appropriate local care. The Initial Assessment and Referral (IAR) tool uses eight assessment domains to estimate the service intensity required by patients across five levels of care.
Why Should I Attend IAR Training?
In the future, IAR guidance and the IAR-DST will be used nationally by Commonwealth-funded mental health services and beyond, so it is imperative that health professionals familiarise themselves with the tool. Our dedicated IAR team is running face-to-face and online training sessions for GPs, general practice staff, clinicians, and other mental health service providers in Western Sydney. During the two-hour training session, the team will guide participants through the following learning objectives:
- Describe the development process of the Initial Assessment and Referral Initiative
- Describe the eight Initial Assessment Domains of the Decision Support Tool
- Define the five levels of care and provide examples of mental health services that belong to each
- Apply the IAR Guidance to use the decision support tool to generate a recommended level of care
- Apply the supported decision-making strategies to involve the patient in referral decision-making
So far, 82 health professionals have taken part in IAR training. Participants have shared feedback such as, ‘[the IAR-DST is] helpful for mental health assessment and planning for treatment service’, ‘I found the session extremely useful and also well presented’, and ‘It was a really informative and well-thought-out session’.
GPs who attend IAR-DST training are eligible for Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP). GPs and GP registrars will receive a $300 reimbursement for attending the training.
How do I Access IAR Training?
Multiple training dates are available for IAR-DST training. You can choose the option that best suits you by registering via our new Our West Sydney platform. You can also contact our team if you would like to organise face-to-face or whole-of-practice training at iar@wentwest.com.au
Read more about IAR-DST training.