Change in psychiatrists' attitudes towards the physical health care of patients with schizophrenia coinciding with the dissemination of the consensus on physical health in patients with schizophrenia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the impact of the "Spanish Consensus on Physical Health in Patients with Schizophrenia" on psychiatrists' evaluations of the physical health of patients with schizophrenia.


METHODS
Epidemiological, non-interventional, national, multicentre study, with two retrospective, cross-sectional data collection stages in which 229 psychiatrists evaluated 1193 clinical records of patients with schizophrenia (ICD-10) seen in January and September of 2007.


RESULTS
Mean age of the patients was 39.7±11.6 years, 65.5% were men, diagnosed for schizophrenia 14.0±10.3 years ago. Forty percent of the patients suffer from a concomitant disease, the most prevalent being hypercholesterolemia (46.3%), hypertriglyceridaemia (33.5%) and arterial hypertension (26.0%). The difference in the number of patients who had all the physical measurements taken between the two cross-sectional evaluations was 13.8% (CI: 11.8%, 15.7%). The differences for each parameter were: weight 13.7% (CI: 11.7%, 15.6%), BMI 13.58% (CI: 11.6%, 15.5%), waist circumference 14.0% (CI: 12.0%, 15.39%), lipid profile 2.9% (CI: 1.9%, 3.9%) and glycaemia 2.6% (CI: 1.7%, 3.5%).


CONCLUSIONS
These results imply that the dissemination of the "Consensus on Physical Health in Schizophrenia Patients", and possibly other actions, has made psychiatrists more aware of an integral approach to patients with schizophrenia, promoting increased monitoring of the physical health of these patients.
Bobes
J
J
Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Salud Mental (Cibersam), Psychiatry Department, University of Oviedo, Julián Clavería, 6, 33006 Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. bobes@uniovi.es
Alegría
A A
AA
Saiz-Gonzalez
M D
MD
Barber
I
I
Pérez
J L
JL
Saiz-Ruiz
J
J
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003245:Consensus Statements as Topic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005260:Female; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications*