In Brief: Mentally Ill Less Likely To Receive Diabetes Screenings; Hospital Breastfeeding Rates Rise
Mentally Ill Receive Few Diabetes Screenings, Says UCSF
A new study by researchers at UC San Francisco has concluded that mentally ill patients enrolled in the Medicaid program are often rarely screened for diabetes despite being at high risk for contracting the condition.
A study of nearly 51,000 patients enrolled in Medicaid who have diagnosed with serious mental illness concluded that more than 70% never received a diabetes screening. That's despite the fact that data suggest that patients with a serious mental illness are two to three times more likely to have type 2 diabetes than the general population. Any antipsychotic medication they take for their condition can also raise the risk of contracting diabetes.
“Our healthcare system is fragmented for people with mental illness. For example, the mental health electronic medical record is totally separate from their primary care electronic record, truly limiting the quality of care this vulnerable population can receive,” said Christina Mangurian, M.D., associate professor of clinical psychiatry at the UCSF School of Medicine and lead author of the study. ”As a community psychiatrist, I see so many people who are untreated or under-treated for physical health problems because of this lack of integration.”
The study suggested that mentally ill patients with a source of primary care are more likely to be screened.
The findings were published earlier this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Breastfeeding Up At California’s Hospitals
A new study by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has concluded that more new mothers are breastfeeding in the state's hospitals.
According to the data compiled by the agency, the breastfeeding rate has improved from 90.8% in 2010 to 93.5% as of last year. Among those mothers who only gave their newborns their breast milk, the rates rose even more dramatically, from 56.6% to 66.6%.
The agency credited the increase to public outreach campaigns.
Children who breastfeed exclusively during the first six months of life are significantly less likely to contract a variety of illnesses and allergies, while mothers are less likely to suffer from postpartum depression, studies show.
State law requires that any hospital with a perinatal unit have a comprehensive policy in place that includes the encouragement of breastfeeding newborn children.
“Exclusive breastfeeding during the first six months of life is the most important nutrition practice a mother can embrace to improve the immediate and long-term health of her infant,” said CDPH Director Karen Smith, M.D. “Hospital maternity care practices play an important role in ensuring new mothers can meet their personal goals for breastfeeding.”
However, the CDPH noted that there are significant demographic differences in the data. Although improvements were reported among all ethnic groups, exclusive breastfeeding rates for African-American, Asian and Latinas was about 60%. That’s compared to 80% for newborn white children.
