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Lithium monitoring patterns in the United Kingdom and Ireland: Can shared care agreements play a role in improving monitoring quality? A systematic review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 February 2017

R. E. Aubry ,
L. Scott  and
E. Cassidy
R. E. Aubry*
Affiliation:
Graduate Entry Medicine, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
L. Scott
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science, University College Cork, Acute Mental Health Unit, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork.
E. Cassidy
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science, University College Cork, Acute Mental Health Unit, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork.
*
*Address for correspondence: R. E. Aubry, Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioural Science, University College Cork, Acute Mental Health Unit, Cork University Hospital, Wilton, Cork, Ireland. (Email: [email protected])
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Abstract

Background

The appropriate monitoring of patients on lithium therapy has been the subject of extensive research in the form of clinical audits and surveys culminating in the development of specific guidelines to help clinicians provide optimal care for patients on lithium. The concept of ‘shared care’ has also gained attention in the literature with various types of shared care interventions being introduced as potential ways of improving communication between primary and secondary care.

Objectives

This article aims to (1) review the literature evaluating lithium monitoring practices in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the last 25 years and (2) determine whether locally agreed shared care agreements have the potential to improve monitoring quality.

Methods

A literature search was conducted using the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL and PsychInfo. A total of 12 studies were selected for review including 11 audits/prospective chart reviews and one qualitative study using semi-structured interviews.

Conclusions

Overall, the quality of lithium monitoring seems to be improving throughout the years. However, none of the studies reviewed revealed complete adherence to monitoring guidelines. This may be due to a lack of effective communication between primary and secondary care. Several shared care interventions have been described in the literature but there is a paucity of studies concerned with the effects of local shared care arrangements designed for the specific purpose of lithium monitoring. Nonetheless, the extant data suggests that such agreements may help improve monitoring standards by allowing the responsibilities for managing the prescribing and monitoring of lithium to be more clearly defined and shared between primary and secondary care.

Keywords

Drug monitoringlithium therapymental healthprimary careshared care
Type
Review Article
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 34 , Issue 2 , June 2017 , pp. 127 - 140
Copyright
© College of Psychiatrists of Ireland 2017 

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