Metabolic screen and intervene: improving mental health inpatient metabolic monitoring

Objective: To assess rates of metabolic monitoring in patients prescribed antipsychotic medications in the psychiatric inpatient setting and the impact education can have regarding monitoring compliance. Method: Two identical audits were undertaken at a NSW mental health inpatient service before and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australasian psychiatry : bulletin of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists 2021-06, Vol.29 (3), p.289-293
Main Authors: Viglione, Luke, Short, Brooke L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Antipsychotic Agents - adverse effects
Antipsychotic Agents - therapeutic use
Female
Humans
Inpatients - statistics & numerical data
Male
Mental Disorders - diagnosis
Mental Disorders - drug therapy
Mental Health
Mental Health Services - organization & administration
Metabolic Syndrome - chemically induced
Metabolic Syndrome - diagnosis
Middle Aged
Psychiatry - education
Quality Assurance, Health Care - methods
Quality Improvement
Waist Circumference
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Objective: To assess rates of metabolic monitoring in patients prescribed antipsychotic medications in the psychiatric inpatient setting and the impact education can have regarding monitoring compliance. Method: Two identical audits were undertaken at a NSW mental health inpatient service before and after a campaign designed to educate mental health workers about the importance of metabolic monitoring. Results from both audits were compared for statistically significant improvements in monitoring rates. Results: Rates of monitoring plasma lipids increased from 21.7% to 78.8% (p < 0.01) and rates for plasma glucose increased from 20.8% to 73.7% (p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant changes in rates of monitoring body mass index (83.0% and 77.1%, respectively), waist circumference (36.8% and 43.2%, respectively) and blood pressure (99.1% and 100%, respectively). Conclusion: This study has shown that rates of metabolic monitoring in the inpatient setting can be improved with a relatively low-cost education intervention. While absolute rates remain low, outcomes suggest that it may be worthwhile trialling further modes of education and repeating this education in cycles.
ISSN:1039-8562
1440-1665
DOI:10.1177/1039856220936147