title: Primary care providers' views on metabolic monitoring of outpatients taking antipsychotic medication.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate attitudes of primary care providers toward barriers to metabolic monitoring and to characterize their beliefs about providers' responsibility for monitoring and reducing cardiovascular risk for people with severe mental illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  An anonymous survey was administered to 214 primary care providers working in 23 public community health clinics in San Francisco.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 77% (164 of 214). Nearly 40% of primary care providers were unaware of consensus guidelines for metabolic monitoring of people who take second-generation antipsychotic medications. Responses showed variation in providers' beliefs about who should monitor patients' metabolic risk. The major barriers to metabolic monitoring were severity of psychiatric illness, difficulty collaborating with psychiatrists, and difficulty arranging psychiatric follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary care providers believed that better communication between primary care providers and psychiatrists would facilitate metabolic monitoring and promote better treatment for patients with severe mental illness who are taking antipsychotic medications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA. christina.mangurian@ucsf.edu
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mangurian
authors.forename: Funmi
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Giwa
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shumway
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fuentes-Afflick
authors.forename: Eliseo J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Pérez-Stable
authors.forename: James W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Dilley
authors.forename: Dean
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schillinger
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000592:standards*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D014150:Antipsychotic Agents