Mental and physical health comordibity: Political imperatives and practice implications

Abstract

Insufficient priority is being given to meet the physical health-care needs of people with mental illness. Mental health nurses, as the largest professional group working in mental health care, have a pivotal role in improving the physical health and well-being of people with mental illness. Through health-promotion strategies, alongside recovery-focused support aimed at avoiding deteriorating physical health, mental health nurses can significantly contribute to improving the current rate of premature death experienced by people with enduring mental illness. Drawing from contemporary policy, alongside practical examples taken from the published literature, this paper considers what constitutes recommended best practice in dealing with the physical health-care needs of people with mental illness. The role that UK-based health-care policy plays in shaping care delivery that meets the needs of people with mental illness is explored and placed within the context of global health concerns. Recommendations are made on how mental health nursing can work to provide evidence for a reassertion that nurses are well placed to work across organizational and professional boundaries to deliver person-centred care and a holistic approach to population health and well-being.

Master’s level mental health nursing competencies, a prerequisite for equal health among service users in mental health care

“…Insufficient priority has been given to meet the physical health-care needs of people experiencing mental illness (Heald, Montejo, & Millar et al, 2010; Laursen & Nodentoft, 2006) Mental health nurses, owing to their competence profile, have a key role in improving overall health and well-being of people with mental illness (Hardy & Thomas, 2012) comprising preventing, detecting, and managing side effects of antipsychotics (Usher, 2006). People with mental health issues, in spite of the will to learn more about healthy lifestyles, often lack the ability to change their physical health on their own, putting them in need of the mental health nurses’ emotional, practical and mutual support (Verhaeghe et al, 2011).…”

“…Nurse-led strategies to improve physical healthcare in mental health services such as lifestyle programmes, screening and linking to general health services could potentially reduce health inequalities (Happell et al, 2014b). Through health-promotion strategies, alongside recovery-focused support aimed at avoiding deteriorating physical health, mental health nurses can significantly counteract the current rate of premature death experienced by people with long-term mental illness (Blythe & White, 2012; Hardy & Thomas, 2012). Nevertheless, role ambiguities among mental health nurses have been revealed, and mental health nurses normally feel that physical care is outside their remit and expertise (Happell et al, 2012).…”

“…Healthcare organizations can promote provider and patient empowerment by implementing appropriate programmes to support a healthy lifestyle among clients and stimulate staff members to involve clients in treatment planning and ensuring that staff have sufficient time to complete the responsibility of engaging patients (Linhorst, Hamilton, & Young et al, 2002). Master’s level nurses working in mental healthcare settings have an important and crucial role to implement policies and to promote the physical health of people with severe mental illness (Hardy & Thomas, 2012; Usher et al, 2006; Wärdig et al, 2013). Consequently, masters’ level mental health nurses commitment to physical health outcomes of healthcare programmes are essential to reach improvements in health behaviours such as substance use and cardio-metabolic health measures such as cholesterol, blood pressure and blood glucose, among service users in mental health services (Happell, et al, 2014a).…”

Care Provision to Prevent Chronic Disease by Community Mental Health Clinicians

“…[8][9][10] Although addressing the physical health needs of mental health consumers is an increasingly recognized priority in policy, [11][12][13][14][15] the limited evidence suggests that the provision of preventive care by mental health clinicians is suboptimal. For example, estimates of the prevalence of assessment of health risk behaviors by medical and nursing staff have ranged from 5% to 19%.…”

Nursing Revolution in Australian Primary Mental Health

“…Most importantly, specialist nurses are able to bridge the dual, diagnostic and therapeutic gap between medicine and psychiatry (Blythe & White, 2012;Hardy & Thomas, 2012;McConnell, Inderbitzin & Pollard, 1992;Worley, Drago & Hadley, 1990). They are trained to manage both medical and psychiatric illness, reducing illness risk, and promoting health and wellbeing (Burman et al, 2009) especially in the long-term, physically and mentally ill (Vousden, Drago & Hadley, 1990;Smith, Allwright & O'Dowd, 2007).…”