TY - JOUR
KW - Adolescent
KW - Adult
KW - Communication
KW - Confidence Intervals
KW - Correspondence as Topic
KW - Female
KW - Great Britain
KW - Health Promotion/methods
KW - Humans
KW - Interprofessional Relations
KW - Male
KW - Mental Disorders
KW - Mental Health Services/organization & administration
KW - Middle Aged
KW - Odds Ratio
KW - Physician-Patient Relations
KW - Retrospective Studies
KW - Severity of Illness Index
KW - Time Factors
KW - Young Adult
AU - S. Hardy
AU - R. Gray
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: Annual physical health checks are recommended for patients with severe mental illness (SMI) as this group has a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than the rest of the general population. There is little guidance for healthcare professionals to assist them in encouraging patients to attend a health check. AIMS: To explore whether an invitation appointment letter is effective in prompting patients with SMI to attend a physical health check in primary care compared with those with diabetes. METHOD: A retrospective audit comparing the response rate of patients with SMI and diabetes to an appointment letter inviting them to attend a primary care health check. RESULTS: Two-thirds (n = 61, 66%) of the patients with SMI (n = 92) and three-quarters (n = 338, 81%) of those with diabetes (n = 416) attended the practice on the date and time stipulated in the letter. Patients with diabetes were 2.2 times more likely to attend a health check compared with those with SMI (OR = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.13-3.62). CONCLUSION: Although attendance rates were lower than in patients with diabetes, they were higher than expected from the SMI group. An invitation appointment letter is an effective way of ensuring that patients with SMI have a physical health check.
BT - Primary health care research & development
C5 - Healthcare Disparities
CP - 4
CY - England
DO - 10.1017/S1463423612000023
IS - 4
JF - Primary health care research & development
N2 - BACKGROUND: Annual physical health checks are recommended for patients with severe mental illness (SMI) as this group has a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than the rest of the general population. There is little guidance for healthcare professionals to assist them in encouraging patients to attend a health check. AIMS: To explore whether an invitation appointment letter is effective in prompting patients with SMI to attend a physical health check in primary care compared with those with diabetes. METHOD: A retrospective audit comparing the response rate of patients with SMI and diabetes to an appointment letter inviting them to attend a primary care health check. RESULTS: Two-thirds (n = 61, 66%) of the patients with SMI (n = 92) and three-quarters (n = 338, 81%) of those with diabetes (n = 416) attended the practice on the date and time stipulated in the letter. Patients with diabetes were 2.2 times more likely to attend a health check compared with those with SMI (OR = 2.20, 95% CI = 1.13-3.62). CONCLUSION: Although attendance rates were lower than in patients with diabetes, they were higher than expected from the SMI group. An invitation appointment letter is an effective way of ensuring that patients with SMI have a physical health check.
PP - England
PY - 2012
SN - 1477-1128; 1463-4236
SP - 347
EP - 352
EP - 
T1 - Is the use of an invitation letter effective in prompting patients with severe mental illness to attend a primary care physical health check?
T2 - Primary health care research & development
TI - Is the use of an invitation letter effective in prompting patients with severe mental illness to attend a primary care physical health check?
U1 - Healthcare Disparities
U2 - 22340012
U3 - 10.1017/S1463423612000023
VL - 13
VO - 1477-1128; 1463-4236
Y1 - 2012
ER -