PP 146. Mental Health and Physical Health Monitoring

---

F. Luiza Popescu, L. Dvorkin

17:30 - 17:36h at Lanchid Room

Categories: Evidence-Based Surgery, Poster Session

Session: Poster II (P5) - Innovation / Education

---

Background
Mental wellbeing has a significant impact on the recovery and length of stay of patients during their admission to a general hospital and after surgical intervention. Specific challenges include; any acute deterioration in mental function (anxiety/ delirium/psychosis) and its management on a general surgical ward, the timely recognition and management of surgical complications and informed consent.

Material and Methods
We conducted a prospective study. In the initial audit we aim to identify the appropriate use ofcurrent mini tools in assessing / monitoring of mental health at the North Middlesex University Hospital. Over a period of 2 weeks we audited all the clerking proformas filled in on admission.

Result
As the audit findings were below the expectations, and the AMT was poorly recorded on admission,we intend to adjust the current mini tool in order to address the importance and implications that mental health can have on the prognosis of a general surgical inpatient. The mini questionnaire that will be used includes sections regarding past psychiatric history, mood, cognition, and mental capacity.

Conclusion
Inpatients with mental illness represent a significant challenge for any surgical department. There is evidence that mental health issues are unrecognised and not fully addressed by medical and nursing staff in general hospitals. Early recognition of any cognitive impairment and decline in activities of daily living can improve the quality of life in the patients developing mental illness and reduce the socio-economical burden that many of these psychiatric conditions bring with them.