Roles of Hospital Type and Community Setting in Rate of Screening for Metabolic Disorders Among Psychiatric Patients
Objective: Globally, rates of metabolic disorders continue to climb, leading to significant disease morbidity and mortality. Individuals with mental illness are particularly prone to obesity, and some medications, such as antipsychotics, may increase the risk for metabolic disorders. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Diabetes Association recommend that patients taking antipsychotic medications receive regular screening for metabolic disorders. This study examined hospital and community factors associated with screening these patients for such disorders. Methods: The authors combined Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) hospital-level data on screening for metabolic disorders among patients with an antipsychotic prescription with community data, including urbanization classification, social vulnerability, and metabolic disease presence and risk factors. Data were merged at the county level and evaluated with a nonparametric multivariate regression model.