Systematic computerised cardiovascular health screening for people with severe mental illness

Aims and method People with severe mental illness (SMI) die relatively young, with mortality rates four times higher than average, mainly from natural causes, including heart disease. We developed a computer-based physical health screening template for use with primary care information systems and evaluated its introduction across a whole city against standards recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for physical health and cardiovascular risk screening. Results A significant proportion of SMI patients were excluded from the SMI register and only a third of people on the register had an annual physical health check recorded. The screening template was taken up by 75% of GP practices and was associated with better quality screening than usual care, doubling the rate of cardiovascular risk recording and the early detection of high cardiovascular risk. Clinical implications A computerised annual physical health screening template can be introduced to clinical information systems to improve quality of care.