New paper examines cardiovascular disease risk among patients with diagnosed mental health disorders in general practice

Congratulations to UCD School of Medicine’s Nandakumar Ravichandran, Dr Niamh Murphy, John Broughan, Yao Xie, Dr Geoff McCombe, Professor Brian O’Donoghue, Professor Kenneth McDonald, Adjunct Clinical Professor Joseph Gallagher, Professor Walter Cullen, and all those involved on their important paper in the Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine examining cardiovascular disease risk among patients with diagnosed mental health disorders in general practice.

An under-researched but high-impact area at the intersection of mental and physical health, the study highlights a substantial prevalence of mental health conditions (around 1 in 5 patients) and system-level gaps in routine cardiovascular risk assessment.

The findings reinforce the need to integrate mental health into Chronic Disease Management programmes.

The paper is titled, ‘General practice professionals’ perspectives on cardiovascular risk assessment in patients diagnosed with mental health disorders: an embedded mixed-methods study’.

Abstract

Background:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Research suggests people with Mental Health Disorders (MHDs) have increased CVD risk. However, knowledge gaps exist regarding CVD risk management for general practice patients with MHD, and interventions that might improve CVD prevention. This study examined the perspectives of general practice professionals in Ireland on cardiovascular risk assessment for patients already diagnosed with MHD and to describe current approaches to identifying this population using the Mental Health Finder (MHF) tool.

Methods:

An embedded mixed-methods design was adopted, guided by constructivist grounded theory and the Social Ecological Model. Aggregated anonymised data, including availability and use of the MHF tool, were collected from five practices and analysed in SPSS. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 general practitioners and three practice nurses. Qualitative data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s Reflexive Thematic Analysis.

Results:

Of the five practices, two had access to the MHF tool. These reported combined prevalence of 18.7% for MHD compared with 0.5–11.5% in practices without the tool, highlighting the importance of systematic identification. Qualitative analysis generated four themes: (1) prevalence of MHD in general practice, (2) association between MHD and CVD risk, (3) CVD risk management in patients with MHD, and (4) holistic care.

Conclusion:

CVD risk assessment for patients with MHD in general practice is largely opportunistic and unstructured. Participants highlighted the need for structured frameworks, protocols, and enhanced supports to enable systematic cardiovascular assessment and management in this population.

View the full paper online (opens in a new window)here.