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Currently, patients with severe mental disorders can lead a practically full life 
due to modern psychiatric access and pharmacotherapy. Despite the significant 
advances in treatment, however, their life expectancy remains two decades 
shorter when compared to the general population, with the most significant 
cause of death being cardiovascular disease. The implemented project aimed 
to create a comprehensive programme of screening and intervention for 
cardiovascular risk in patients with mental disorders in the environment of a 
psychiatric hospital. Based on the previous work and inspiration from foreign 
institutions, a comprehensive programme that each hospitalised patient goes 
through was established. It consists of an automatically evaluated risk screening 
and intervention programmes graded according to the patient’s risk.

Thanks to the project, a methodology for comprehensive rehabilitative 
care for patients with mental disease and a methodology of physiotherapy, 
kinesiotherapy, ergotherapy and nutritional care were created. It also introduced 
a comprehensive rehabilitation care of training for independent living in a 
transitional phase (i.e. the phase from the completion of treatment to the 
transition into the home environment).

The project involved the renovation and modernisation of the selected original 
premises of the hospital, and complete equipment thereof with necessary 
medical and therapeutic facilities. The renovation work was related to the areas 
intended for physiotherapy, new training flats for training skills for independent 
living were created and a Peer Club was newly built. 

At the end of the project, the hospital staff involved in both rehabilitation 
processes was trained. The created methodologies are required for work with 
patients for all employees of the Psychiatric Hospital Bohnice.

S.O.M.A. – Care for Physical Health and 

Training of Independent Life 

Example of the project 

S.O.M.A.: System of Metabolic 

Influencing and Activities

Peer Club: Peer therapy 

incorporates people who 

have personal experience 

with psychiatric disorders 

and are trained in therapeutic 

consultancy into the treatment 

of psychiatric patients.

Project Promoter

Psychiatric Hospital Bohnice 

(Czech Republic)

Partners

Czech Technical University in 

Prague, Faculty of Biomedical 

Engineering (Czech Republic)

University Hospital of North 

Norway, Tromsø (NO)