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Abstract

Antipsychotic medications can be essential for managing psychiatric disorders, though adverse effects are associated with significant risks that can reduce life expectancy. Despite existing clinical practice guidelines designed to prevent patient harm, adherence to medical monitoring protocols remains inadequate. This quality improvement project aimed to improve medical monitoring practices for 116 patients on antipsychotic medications at an outpatient mental health clinic, utilizing the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Plan-Do-Study-Act model. Interventions included the development of a written policy and systematic identification of patients requiring routine monitoring. Although the specific aim of achieving 75% policy compliance was not met, significant improvements were observed across individual parameters and medical monitoring practices overall. The project was limited by the 12-week implementation period and dependence on a specific electronic health record (EHR) system that was subject to change outside the project's control. Recommendations for future efforts were informed by a survey distributed to clinicians, including continued focus on addressing system-level barriers and advocating for practical changes within the EHR to improve sustainability.

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