Severe Mental Illness in Adults and Physical Health Screening

Speeter, Kathryn L

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Kathryn L Speeter, RN, BSN, MM
Behavioral Health inpatient program, Mercy Health Partners/Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services, Muskegon, MI

Learning Objective 1: The learner will be able to discuss the implications of the lack of physical health screening in adults with mental illness on their overall health.

Learning Objective 2: The learner will be able to identify one positive outcome from the use of the Physical Health Check tool with adults with severe mental illness.

The purpose of this project is to evaluate the implementation of the Physical Health Check (PHC) tool for adults with a severe mental illness to determine if the implementation will result in an actionable plan that the client and agency will accept. Evidence that this is occurring will be noted by the presence of a completed PHC tool in the record, an action plan being incorporated into the treatment plan for each client, and by documented evidence that clients are making positive changes in their health. The outcome of this project will also include an assessment of case managers’ attitudes about the value and effectiveness of the PHC tool and their intent to incorporate it into the health record.

The PHC tool will be used to interview participants receiving services at a community case management clinic site that is part of a large healthcare system of psychiatric services including inpatient, outpatient, and residential services. Participants exhibiting signs of active psychosis will be excluded. Data will include blood pressure, height, weight, waist circumference, and a calculated body mass index at the start and completion of the project. Data on physical health history and status will be collected at the initial appointment through the use of the PHC tool. An action plan will be developed with clients to identify a health-promoting behavior they are willing to engage in to address a prioritized physical health need. Participants will complete a 6-item self-efficacy tool to evaluate their self-confidence with accomplishing their health-promotion goal at the beginning and end of the project. It is expected that the ability to identify changes in physical status and address concerns before the clients’ health deteriorates will help to reduce the effects of chronic illness and improve the quality of life for these individuals.

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