Assessment and treatment of physical health problems among people with schizophrenia: national cross-sectional study

• Published in: British journal of psychiatry 2014-12, Vol.205 (6), p.473-477
• Main Authors: Crawford, Mike J., Jayakumar, Simone, Lemmey, Suzie J., Zalewska, Krysia, Patel, Maxine X., Cooper, Stephen J., Shiers, David
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aged; Alcohol; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Audits; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Blood Glucose - analysis; Body Mass Index; Cardiovascular disease; Cholesterol - blood; Clinical outcomes; Cooperation; Cross-Sectional Studies; Diabetes; Dyslipidemia; Evaluation; Falls; Family medical history; Female; Health problems; Health services; Health Services Needs and Demand; Health status; Health Status Disparities; Humans; Hyperglycemia; Life expectancy; Life span; Male; Medical sciences; Mental disorders; Mental health care; Middle Aged; Mortality; Outcome Assessment, Health Care; Patient Preference; Premature mortality; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Psychosis; Psychotic Disorders - blood; Psychotic Disorders - epidemiology; Psychotic Disorders - physiopathology; Psychotropic drugs; Quality; Quality Improvement; Quality of Health Care - standards; Quality of Health Care - statistics & numerical data; Schizoaffective disorder; Schizophrenia; Schizophrenia - blood; Schizophrenia - epidemiology; Schizophrenia - physiopathology; Smoking - epidemiology; Smoking - psychology; Sugar; United Kingdom - epidemiology
• ISSN: 0007-1250; 1472-1465
• DOI: 10.1192/bjp.bp.113.142521

In the UK and other high-income countries, life expectancy in people with schizophrenia is 20% lower than in the general population. To examine the quality of assessment and treatment of physical health problems in people with schizophrenia. Method Retrospective audit of records of people with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder aged ⩾18. We collected data on nine key aspects of physical health for 5091 patients and combined these with a cross-sectional patient survey. Body mass index was recorded in 2599 (51.1%) patients during the previous 12 months and 1102 (21.6%) had evidence of assessment of all nine key measures. Among those with high blood sugar, there was recorded evidence of 53.5% receiving an appropriate intervention. Among those with dyslipidaemia, this was 19.9%. Despite this, most patients reported that they were satisfied with the physical healthcare they received. Assessment and treatment of common physical health problems in people with schizophrenia falls well below acceptable standards. Cooperation and communication between primary and secondary care services needs to improve if premature mortality in this group is to be reduced.