Current Practices in Electronic Capture of Patient-Reported Outcomes for Measurement-Based Care and the Use of...

Electronic health records combined with tethered patient portals now support a range of functions including electronic data capture of patient-reported outcomes, trend reporting on clinical targets, secure messaging, and patient-mediated health information exchange. The applications of these features require special consideration in psychiatric and behavioral health settings. Nonetheless, their potential to engage patients suffering from disorders in which passivity and withdrawal are endemic to their mental health condition, is great. This article presents the growing research base on these topics, including discussion of key issues and recommendations for optimal implementation of patient portals in behavioral health settings.