Uptake of a preventive care consultation offered to clients of a community mental health service

Preventive care to address client chronic disease risks is not frequently provided in community mental health services. Offering clients an additional preventive care consultation has been shown to increase client receipt of such care. The ability of this approach to have a beneficial impact at the population level is however dependent on its level of acceptability and uptake among clients. No studies have previously reported these outcomes when the additional consultation is universally offered to all clients of a community mental health service. To address this evidence gap, this descriptive study was undertaken to determine community mental health clients’ (1) reported acceptability, in principle, of such a model of care, (2) of those who were offered the additional consultation, the level of uptake, and (3) clinical and socio-demographic characteristics associated with uptake. Participants were clients of one community mental health service in Australia. Data were collected in 2017 by telephone interviews and study records. Data from three distinct participant sub-groups are reported. In response to a hypothetical question, 79.3% of participants (n = 157) agreed that an offer of an additional preventive care consultation would be acceptable (Aim 1). Of the participants who were offered such a consultation (n = 264), 37.8% took up the offer (Aim 2); and no clinical or sociodemographic characteristics were significantly associated with uptake (Aim 3). Findings support the feasibility of this model of care. However, further research is needed to identify barriers to uptake, and effective strategies to enhance consultation uptake. Trial registration: ACTRN12616001519448.