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Back to the future: A call to generalism in psychiatry

Providing a sustainably resourced medical workforce to meet the healthcare needs of a population is a significant challenge. Drivers of medical workforce issues include an ageing population, increasing chronic disease, skill shortages and workforce maldistribution. In this paper, we consider the imbalance between generalism and specialism in Australia, arguing that generalist positions may better address the current healthcare gaps.

Citation:
Coleman M, Cuesta-Briand B. Back to the future: A call to generalism in psychiatry. Australas Psychiatry. 2025.

Keywords:
Generalism; generalist psychiatry; medical workforce reform; sustainable workforce

Abstract:
Providing a sustainably resourced medical workforce to meet the healthcare needs of a population is a significant challenge. Drivers of medical workforce issues include an ageing population, increasing chronic disease, skill shortages and workforce maldistribution. In this paper, we consider the imbalance between generalism and specialism in Australia, arguing that generalist positions may better address the current healthcare gaps.