Improved Prescriber Adherence to Guidelines on Antipsychotic Medication Management Through Increased Access to Metabolic Monitoring Forms.

Patients diagnosed with a chronic mental illness have a 2 to 3 times higher likelihood of developing metabolic abnormalities than their non-mentally ill counterparts due to prescription medication use. Metabolic syndrome has been reported in 52% of patients prescribed atypical antipsychotic medications, compared to the general population rate of 23%, and has been found to place individuals at high risk of death from diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This quality improvement project aimed to increase the rate of metabolic monitoring and related lab orders for patients prescribed atypical antipsychotic medications in a rural community mental health center to improve patient outcomes.