Background: Lithium is widely used as a mood stabilizer in managing Bipolar Disorder. It is also licensed as an augmenting
agent for recurrent depression and treatment resistant depression. However, it has a narrow therapeutic index with potentially
significant side effects and adverse drug interactions. Toxicity is one of the main concerns for prescribers and serum levels should be checked regularly. Also, due to the adverse effects on Kidneys and Thyroid, there are strict guidelines to monitor the kidney as well as thyroid functions periodically. Whilst the need to monitor blood biochemistry is well established, less well recognized is the need to monitor patients’ physical health by means of annual checks of Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate compliance against the NICE CG185 guidelines. Hereford is a rural town in
England with a population of about 180000. Currently, the Herefordshire part of 2gether Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust does not have clearly agreed shared care protocols for Lithium monitoring. Lithium monitoring is done by GPs as part of QOF targets. As Psychiatrists recommend treatment with lithium, they have the responsibility to have an updated results and act on these appropriately. Therefore, an important aspect of this audit was to identify monitoring gaps that may result from the dual ownership of patient care.
Results: We found that 80% of cases complied with NICE guidance as regards blood monitoring however, only 40% of cases
were compliant as regards checks on the physical health parameters of BMI and weight.
Conclusion: The blood biochemistry of patients on lithium is generally well monitored however, physical health assessment is
rarely completed with the required annual frequency and, waist circumference is almost never measured; either on initiation of
lithium therapy or, on an on-going basis. More needs to be done to promote awareness of the need to monitor the physical health of patients on lithium and, in particular, to ensure that these checks include measurement of waist circumference. We believe that to improve monitoring of patients on lithium, shared care protocols should be developed between mental health services and GP services
