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Updated: Mar 11, 2026

Author Spotlight: Assessing the Cardiovascular Profile of Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
Published on: September 27, 2024
Improving Metabolic Syndrome Screening on Patients on Second Generation Antipsychotic Medication
Esther Kioko1, Kimberly Williams2, Beth Newhouse3
1COPE Community Services Incorporated, Tucson, AZ.
Aim:
This quality improvement project aims at stressing the importance of screening for metabolic syndrome (MS) on patients with serious mental illness (SMI) managed with second generation antipsychotic (SGA) medication.
Method:
One hundred charts of patients who were on SGA (n=100) were randomly selected from more than 1000 charts for the purpose of this project with (n=50) charts for pre-intervention and (n=50) charts for post intervention. A chi-square test of independence was calculated comparing the frequency of labs and vital done in pre-intervention and post-intervention period.
Results:
A significant interaction was found [χ2(2)=32.67, p<.001] indicating that providers were more likely to order labs in postintervention (62%) than in pre-intervention (22%). No significant relationship was found for vital signs [χ2(1)=.542, p>.05]. The use of the screening and monitoring tool showed that gaps exist in the screening for MS among patients on SGA.
Implication To Practice:
Advanced health nurse practitioners are well placed to take the lead in screening, monitoring, and implementing the necessary measures to address MS among patients with serious mental illness.
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