SYSTEMATIC REVIEW article

Front. Health Serv.

Sec. Mental Health Services

Volume 5 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/frhs.2025.1570100

This article is part of the Research TopicBehavioral and Medical Comorbidity: Identifying Challenges and Transforming Systems of CareView all 11 articles

Strengthening the Delivery of Integrated Physical Health Care for Adults Experiencing Serious Mental Illness: A Scoping Review of Interventions in Mental Health Settings

Provisionally accepted
Munazzah  AmbreenMunazzah Ambreen1Sihan  ZhangSihan Zhang1Osnat  C MelamedOsnat C Melamed1,2Christopher  CanningChristopher Canning3,4Brian  LoBrian Lo1,5Sri Mahavir  AgarwalSri Mahavir Agarwal1,4Amer  M BurhanAmer M Burhan4,6M. Elisabeth  Del GiudiceM. Elisabeth Del Giudice2Mary  Rose Van KesterenMary Rose Van Kesteren1Barna  Konkolÿ ThegeBarna Konkolÿ Thege3,4Sanjeev  SockalingamSanjeev Sockalingam1,4Terri  RodakTerri Rodak1Tania  TajirianTania Tajirian1,2Caroline  WalkerCaroline Walker1Vicky  StergiopoulosVicky Stergiopoulos1,4*
  • 1The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • 2Department of Family and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • 3Waypoint Research Institute, Waypoint Centre for Mental Health Care, Penetanguishene, Ontario, Canada
  • 4Department of Psychiatry, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • 5Institute of Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • 6Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences, Whitby, Ontario, Canada

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Individuals living with serious mental illness (SMI) face significant barriers to accessing appropriate physical health care, poorer associated health outcomes and premature mortality compared to the general population. This scoping review examines service delivery models and clinical practices supporting the integration of physical health care for adults with SMI within mental health settings, and their outcomes. Searches of four academic databases yielded 65 academic articles. Most integrated service delivery models were implemented in community mental health settings in the United States and incorporated elements of Wagner's Chronic Care Model, emphasizing delivery-system redesign, patient self-management support and use of clinical information systems. In most outcome studies, integrated care models were associated with improvements in primary care access and preventative screening rates, while other physical health indicators and emergency and inpatient service use demonstrated promising but mixed results. Implementation challenges of integrated service delivery models included securing financial resources and maintaining effective use of clinical information systems, among others. Successful implementation was facilitated by effective teamwork, care coordination, and administrative and leadership support. Study findings highlight the complexity of integrating physical health care in mental health settings, and the longer timeframes needed to observe changes in some outcomes. The review further underscores the need for ongoing efforts to advance integrated care delivery in mental health settings and the importance of longitudinal data collection to fully assess and optimize the implementation and outcomes of these interventions.

Keywords: serious mental illness, Integrated Care, Reverse integration, premature mortality, Service delivery

Received: 02 Feb 2025; Accepted: 30 May 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Ambreen, Zhang, Melamed, Canning, Lo, Agarwal, Burhan, Del Giudice, Rose Van Kesteren, Konkolÿ Thege, Sockalingam, Rodak, Tajirian, Walker and Stergiopoulos. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Vicky Stergiopoulos, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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