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Adults who are admitted to an inpatient setting with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia undergo a physical health assessment focusing on conditions common in people with schizophrenia. This assessment informs their care plan.
Adults with schizophrenia have poorer physical health and a shorter life expectancy than the general population: males with schizophrenia die 20 years earlier and females 15 years earlier. The most common cause of death is cardiovascular disease, which is partly owing to modifiable risk factors such as obesity, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Antipsychotic medications can be associated with weight gain and can aggravate other metabolic or cardiovascular risk factors. There is a need to comprehensively assess physical health, with a particular emphasis on cardiovascular risk factors and diabetes, to enable treatment if necessary.
You should have a physical examination every time you are admitted to hospital. It should focus on conditions that are common in schizophrenia (for example, heart disease and diabetes) and should be used to develop your care plan.
Complete a physical assessment that focuses on conditions common in people with schizophrenia. The results of these assessments will inform their care plans.
Ensure systems, processes, and resources are in place for health care teams to carry out comprehensive physical health assessments of people with schizophrenia while in the hospital. This includes access to standardized physical assessment protocols and tools.
Percentage of adults admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia who received a comprehensive physical health assessment, including metabolic workup, within the past year
Denominator: total number of adults admitted to an inpatient setting with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia
Numerator: number of people in the denominator who received a comprehensive physical health assessment, including metabolic workup, within the past year
Data source: local data collection
Percentage of adults admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia who did not receive a comprehensive physical health assessment, including metabolic workup, within the past year but receive one during the current hospitalization
Denominator: total number of adults admitted to an inpatient setting with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia who did not receive a comprehensive physical health assessment, including metabolic workup, within the past year
Numerator: number of people in the denominator who receive a comprehensive physical health assessment, including metabolic workup, during the current hospitalization
This should assess:
Weight, body mass index, and waist circumference
Pulse and blood pressure
Fasting blood glucose or glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c)
Lipid panel (total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoproteins, triglycerides)
Extrapyramidal signs and symptoms
Overall physical health (with particular attention to common findings such as cardiovascular disease and lung disease)
Age-appropriate physical health screening
Nutritional intake
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