Psychotropic drugs including some of the new generation of antidepressants and antipsychotics can have important effects on the cardiovascular system including changes in blood pressure and effects on the QTc interval. It is good practice to check ECG and blood pressure (BP) before the administration of certain psychotropic agents. It has been suggested that Psychiatrists should be able to interpret ECG's.

The aim of our study was to assess the facilities available in the Psychiatric clinic to check blood pressure and arrange ECG's. We were also interested to find out whether psychiatrists were confident in interpreting ECG's and clarify any associated training requirements. So, we carried out an anonymous postal survey of 260 consultant psychiatrists in the North West of England. Data were analysed with the Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) version 13 for windows.

132 consultants returned the completed questionnaires giving a response rate of 50.7%. A majority of respondents (59%) felt that it was difficult to arrange for ECG in the clinic and worryingly an even higher percentage (61.4%) lacked facilities to check blood pressure. Only a small minority (12.9%) felt confident about identifying QT prolongation on ECG. An overwhelming percentage of respondents (81.8%) respondents felt that doctors working in psychiatry should have regular training in interpreting ECG's.

This survey highlights the lack of facilities in mental health clinics to check blood pressure and arrange simple medical procedures like ECG. It also highlights the need for regular ECG training for psychiatrists