title: Addressing the physical health of people with serious mental illness: A potential solution for an enduring problem.
abstract: People with serious mental illness face significant inequalities in physical health care. As a result, the risk of cardiometabolic disorders and premature mortality is far greater than that observed in the general population. Contributiung to this disparity, is the lack of routine physical health screening by mental health clinicians. One possible solution is the implimentation of a physical health nurse consultant, whose role is to monitor and coordinate the physical health care of people with serious mental illness. Current evidence supports the implimentation of such a role, and a failure to address the widening gaps in physical health care will only serve to increase the disparities faced by people with serious mental illness.
authors.affiliation: SYNERGY: Nursing and Midwifery Research Centre, University of Canberra and ACT Health, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Happell
authors.affiliation: Gaskin Research, Melbourne, VIC, Australia School of Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia.
authors.forename: Cadeyrn J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gaskin
authors.affiliation: School of Medical and Applied Sciences, CQUniversity, Rockhampton, QLD, Australia r.stanton@cqu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stanton
mesh_terms: D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006304:Health Status; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology*
keywords: Cardiovascular disease; mental health consumers; metabolic syndrome; nursing; physical health