A randomized trial of medical care management for community mental health settings: the Primary Care Access, Referral, and Evaluation (PCARE) study.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

Poor quality of healthcare contributes to impaired health and excess mortality in individuals with severe mental disorders. The authors tested a population-based medical care management intervention designed to improve primary medical care in community mental health settings.

Method

A total of 407 subjects with severe mental illness at an urban community mental health center were randomly assigned to either the medical care management intervention or usual care. For individuals in the intervention group, care managers provided communication and advocacy with medical providers, health education, and support in overcoming system-level fragmentation and barriers to primary medical care.

Results

At a 12-month follow-up evaluation, the intervention group received

SUBMITTER: Druss BG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3775666 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature