Metabolic monitoring for patients on antipsychotic medication: are we failing to provide reasonable standard of physical healthcare?
- Department of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Correspondence to Valsamma Eapen
Department of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, L1 Mental Health centre, Elizabeth Street, Sydney, NSW 2170, Australia; v.eapen{at}unsw.edu.au
Implications for practice and research
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■ Patients with mental illness are vulnerable to weight gain and metabolic risk induced by antipsychotic medication, therefore, proactive monitoring and management are critical in improving outcomes.
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■ Suboptimal metabolic monitoring even after the introduction of monitoring guidelines suggests the need for matching guidelines with appropriate training and quality assurance programmes.
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■ There is a need to bridge the research gap through investigating the optimal methods of detecting, preventing and treating metabolic risk in mentally-ill patients; the implementation of effective monitoring methods is crucial.
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■ An integrated evidence-based approach linking physical and mental health aspects using a shared care …
