Improving Screening Rates for Metabolic Syndrome in Patients Taking Atypical Antipsychotics

Metabolic syndrome is common in patients prescribed atypical antipsychotic medications to manage their psychiatric symptoms. However, screening for metabolic syndrome remains low. A combination of clinician and patient factors often leads to suboptimal screening. A multimodal quality improvement strategy to increase adherence to the American Diabetes Association/American Psychiatric Association metabolic syndrome screening guidelines was evaluated at a private practice. Screening increased after implementation of an electronic prompting tool and staff/patient education.