The effectiveness of health assessments in primary care as a strategy for improving both physical and mental health in patients with schizophrenic illness

Roberts L, Gold L, Moore D, Elley K
Record ID 32002000886
English
Authors' objectives:

This review aims to review the usefulness of offering routine or opportunistic health assessment in primary care to patients with schizophrenic illness.

Authors' results and conclusions: Studies found: 4527 papers were originally identified. 4439 were excluded on the basis of title and abstract alone. 88 papers were obtained of which only 3 satisfied the inclusion criteria Quality: The quality of all included studies was judged to be poor. All studies presented methodological problems or failed to fully report patient outcomes. Effectiveness: The available data are insufficient to determine the effectiveness of health assessment for schizophrenic patients in primary care. This is due to a combination of factors: lack of relevant research, poor quality studies and the failure of studies to adopt patient centred measures of health improvement.
Authors' recommendations: There is little evidence to suggest that undertaking health assessment of schizophrenic patients (outside of the usual health promotion activity of general practice) in primary care is an effective way of improving the mental or physical health of this patient group. Practitioners planning on establishing routine clinics or operating an opportunistic assessment programme for patients with schizophrenic illness in primary care would need to fully evaluate their effectiveness in practice.
Authors' methods: Systematic review
Details
Project Status: Completed
URL for project: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/Documents/college-mds/haps/projects/WMHTAC/REPreports/2000/Schizophrenic_patients.pdf
Year Published: 2002
URL for published report: http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/mds/projects/HaPS/PHEB/WMHTAC/REP/reports-list.aspx
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: England
MeSH Terms
  • Family Practice
  • Physicians, Family
  • Primary Health Care
  • Schizophrenia
Contact
Organisation Name: West Midlands Health Technology Assessment Collaboration
Contact Address: Elaena Donald-Lopez, West Midlands Health Technology Assessment Collaboration, Department of Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT Tel: +44 121 414 7450; Fax: +44 121 414 7878
Contact Name: louise.a.taylor@bham.ac.uk
Contact Email: louise.a.taylor@bham.ac.uk
Copyright: University of Birmingham
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.