Implementation of physical health interventions for people with severe mental illness: A systematic review with qualitative synthesis

People with severe mental illness (SMI) die 15–20 years earlier than the general population, often due to preventable physical health conditions like cardiovascular disease. Despite evidence-based interventions to improve physical health for people with SMI, their implementation in practice remains slow and inconsistent. While systematic reviews have investigated such health intervention effectiveness, no review has synthesised evidence on their implementation.

This systematic review with thematic synthesis will identify and integrate qualitative research on implementing physical health interventions for people with SMI. It will identify key barriers, facilitators, and strategies, as well as highlighting gaps in the literature.

This study connects to the UCLP-PRIMROSE programme of research. Therefore, our findings from this project will inform our recommendations from across the programme. Recommendations will be for stakeholders related to integrated care for people with SMI (and multiple long-term conditions more widely), including policymakers, to enhance real-world impact.