A scoping review of cardiovascular risk factor screening rates in general or family practice attendees living with severe mental ill-health

Yichen Xue; Matthew Lewis; John Furler; Anna Waterreus; Elise Dettmann; Victoria J Palmer

doi:10.1016/j.schres.2023.09.007

A scoping review of cardiovascular risk factor screening rates in general or family practice attendees living with severe mental ill-health

Schizophr Res. 2023 Nov:261:47-59. doi: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.09.007. Epub 2023 Sep 10.

Authors

Yichen Xue¹, Matthew Lewis¹, John Furler², Anna Waterreus³, Elise Dettmann¹, Victoria J Palmer⁴

Affiliations

¹ The Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; The ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Australia.
² The Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia.
³ Neuropsychiatric Epidemiology Research Unit, School of Population and Global Health, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
⁴ The Department of General Practice and Primary Care, Melbourne Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia; The ALIVE National Centre for Mental Health Research Translation, The University of Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address: v.palmer@unimelb.edu.au.

PMID: 37699273
DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2023.09.007

Abstract

Background: Primary care is essential to address the unmet physical health needs of people with severe mental ill-health. Continued poor cardiovascular health demands improved screening and preventive care. No previous reviews have examined primary care cardiovascular screening rates for people living with severe mental ill-health; termed in the literature "severe mental illness".

Methods: A scoping review following Joanna Briggs Institute methodology was conducted. Cardiovascular risk factor screening rates in adults with severe mental ill-health were examined in general or family practices (as the main delivery sites of primary care). Literature published between 2001 and 2023 was searched using electronic databases including Medline, Embase, Web of Science, PsychINFO and CINAHL. Two reviewers independently screened titles and abstracts and conducted a full-text review. The term "severe mental illness" was applied as the term applied in the literature over the past decades. Study information, participant details and cardiovascular risk factor screening rates for people with 'severe mental illness' were extracted and synthesised.

Results: Thirteen studies were included. Nine studies were from the United Kingdom and one each from Canada, Spain, New Zealand and the Netherlands. The general and/or family practice cardiovascular disease screening rates varied considerably across studies, ranging from 0 % to 75 % for people grouped within the term "severe mental illness". Lipids and blood pressure were the most screened risk factors.

Conclusions: Cardiovascular disease screening rates in primary care settings for adults living with severe mental ill-health varied considerably. Tailored and targeted cardiovascular risk screening will enable more comprehensive preventive care to improve heart health outcomes and address this urgent health inequity.

Keywords: Cardiovascular disease; General/family practice; Preventive care; Primary care; Screening; Severe mental illness.

Publication types

Review
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Cardiovascular Diseases* / diagnosis
Cardiovascular Diseases* / epidemiology
Family Practice*
Heart Disease Risk Factors
Humans
Mental Health
Risk Factors

Associated data

ANZCTR/ANZCTRN12619001112156