Medical Monitoring Often Missing From Care of Patients on SGAs

From the November 7th edition of Psychiatric News:

By Mark Moran

Psychiatrists are told that they must assume responsibility for screening and monitoring severely mentally ill patients at high risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome.

Studies of lab orders for patients receiving second-generation antipsychotic (SGA) medications reveal that few are getting screened or monitored for cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors, reported Elaine Morrato, Dr.P.H., [pictured] at a symposium at APA's Institute on Psychiatric Services last month in Chicago.

Both patient reports and lab order results suggest that the actual rate of screening and monitoring is lower than the self-reports of psychiatrists—a fact that may be explained by patient failure to follow up on referrals for lab screening.

Moreover, warnings by the Food and Drug Administration regarding cardiometabolic risk factors associated with use of SGAs and recommendations by APA and the American Diabetes Association (ADA) appear to have done little to change prescriber behavior regarding screening and monitoring. Rather, trends in screening and monitoring of patients on SGAs appear to follow those for the general population.

To read the entire article, click here.

Photo courtesy of Elaine Morrato, Dr.P.H., M.P.H.