Somatic Health Screening for Adults in Outpatient Psychiatric Care in Denmark (SomaScreen)

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

Somatic Health Screening for Adults in Outpatient Psychiatric Care in Denmark (SomaScreen): SomaScreen is a structured somatic health screening program for adults in psychiatric outpatient care (F-ACT and OPUS clinics). Trained somatic nurses and general practitioner consultants systematically assess patients for cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes, and cancer, and may detect other somatic conditions. Patients with identified conditions are referred to their own general practitioner for follow-up and management. The intervention is distinguished from usual care by its systematic, multi-condition screening and structured referral process.

Study summary

People with severe mental illness have a substantially increased risk of undiagnosed and insufficiently treated somatic disease. Somatic Screening in the Capital Region Mental Health Service in Denmark (SomaScreen) is a service-level intervention implemented in psychiatric outpatient clinics in the Capital Region of Denmark to improve the detection and follow-up of somatic disease among patients with psychotic and affective disorders.

This study evaluates whether integrating structured somatic screening into mental health services leads to improved identification and management of somatic disease compared with care as usual. Using a quasi-experimental controlled design with a matched cohort, outcomes among patients exposed to the SomaScreen intervention are compared with those of patients receiving usual care in comparable psychiatric outpatient clinics outside the Capital Region.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Previously Undiagnosed Somatic Illness — 2 years from start of intervention
  Number of newly identified somatic (non-psychiatric) illnesses per patient in the intervention cohort compared with the matched control cohort. Analysis will use negative binomial regression to estimate relative risk of detection.
• Management of Somatic Conditions — 2 years from start of intervention
  Change in management of somatic conditions, comparing intervention and control cohorts. Data will be collected from national health registries.

Trial sites (1)

More Amager Hospital trials in Denmark

Other trials for the same condition