Case studies of change--addressing family support needs of rural GPs.

The National Rural Faculty of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners received commonwealth funding between 2000-2002 to develop a rural medical family support project. There were three elements to this project: a counselling and communication skills or mentoring workshop for rural GP spouses in each state. The development of a resource kit of existing rural medical family support strategies, and the piloting of a range of strategies designed to address family support needs in collaboration with rural GPs, registrars and their families. This article focusses on the last of these three elements.