Current Practices in Electronic Capture of Patient-Reported Outcomes for Measurement-Based Care and the Use of Patient Portals to Support Behavioral Health

Abstract

There is a recent convergence of three trends that are transforming behavioral health care: 1) patient engagement and activation; 2) electronic capture of patient-reported outcomes integrated directly into the patients' electronic health record to be used for measurement-based care; and 3) patient-facing health information technology, centering around patient portals, that empowed patients by providing them access to parts of their medical record. Though each component of this model is currently available; they have yet to achieve widespread standard of care. This paper will discuss general considerations to be explored when implementing electronic capture of patient-reported outcomes and multifunctional patient portals in the context of a general behavioral health clinic. First, it presents strategies for implementing electronic data capture of standard behavioral health measures including the process for selecting instruments, setting technical algorithms for standard patient selection, psychometric considerations, and workflow analysis. Electronic data capture can occur through electronic patient portals, about which there is extensive debate within behavioral health. This paper reviews recent research on allowing patients access to their mental health notes. It also presents some original research on providers' views of note access and secure messaging. Finally, the paper makes recommendations for both future research and clinical practice. The field would benefit from expanding beyond the single focus on note reading and should explore the potential of patient portals as multicomponent Patient

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