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Physical Health Needs of Patients With Mental Illness Are Overlooked

Posted on: Sunday, 17 July 2005, 03:01 CDT

Mental health and practice nurses are being urged to pay greater attention to the physical health of patients who have serious mental illness.

Some patients are being neglected because nurses are failing to tackle diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and the side effects of medication.

A report bringing together studies involving more than 500 patients, carers and GPs found that half of patients with a serious mental illness had never had a blood pressure test and 70 per cent had neither been weighed nor advised about healthy lifestyles.

Experts behind the studies said many community psychiatric nurses and practice nurses are ignorant of the physical health needs of this group or they wrongly assume other professionals deal with them.

Kevin Gournay, from London's Institute of Psychiatry and a leading mental health nurse, helped compile the report. He said many nurses see such patients as 'drunk and dangerous'.

Primary care team practitioners, in partnership with community mental health teams, should take responsibility for measuring and monitoring the physical health of people with serious mental illness, the study team concluded.

Raw deal

Some nurses were praised for good practice (see story below), but one of the studies - a joint investigation by the RCN and charities including Rethink and Sane - showed that patients in many other areas get a raw deal.

The report, Running on Empty, calls on practice nurses to log patients' details on computer systems that provide on-screen reminders at least once a year showing when checks are needed. It also says community psychiatric nurses can monitor patients' physical health in clinics.

Annette Jones, nurse adviser at St David's Community Mental Health NHS Trust in Aberdare, Mid Glamorgan, and a study contributor, said: 'The physical wellbeing of those affected by serious mental illness matters more than we sometimes realise. We must take notice of it.'

Another study team adviser, Greater Manchester community psychiatric nurse John Pendlebury, said: 'We have seen significant benefits in those with serious mental illness attending weight management clinics. The confidence of participants increases as they begin to socialise more with others and feel good about themselves again.'

The research revealed that seriously mentally ill patients are far more likely than other patients to be smokers, have low daily intakes of fruit and vegetables, and be overweight.

A mental health patient at last week's launch of the report in London said: 'In 19721 weighed 12 stone. Now I weigh 22. My illness can get me down. Don't tell me that physical health cannot affect the patient.'

Copyright RCN Publishing Company Ltd. Jul 6-Jul 12, 2005

Source: Nursing Standard

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