Abstract
Introduction
To date no studies have contrasted physical health profiles of people with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) in different countries.
Aim
Evaluate feasibility of using the Health Improvement Profile (HIP) to compare and contrast physical health and health behaviours of people with SMI from four countries.
Method
An observational feasibility study using secondary analysis of pooled health state and lifestyle data. Physical health checks using modified versions of HIP were administered in four countries.
Results
Findings suggest feasibility of HIP screening to profile and compare physical health and health behaviours of people with SMI across international settings. High overall numbers of risk items (red‐flags) were identified in all but the Thailand sample. Despite some commonalities, there were important differences in health profiles across countries.
Discussion
This is the first study to demonstrate feasibility of the HIP to compare health risks in individuals with SMI across countries. Future multi‐national HIP studies should recruit a fully‐powered stratified random sample of people with SMI that is representative of each setting.
Implications for practice
It appears feasible to utilize the HIP to identify specific areas of health risk in different countries, which may help to better focus nursing interventions and use of resources.