Study What You Do: Developing a Psychotherapy Tracking Database in a Large-Scale Integrated Behavioral Health...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Informatics
• Behavioral Health Services
• Primary Care Integration

Background:

• Many individuals with behavioral health needs access services in primary care settings.
• Integrated behavioral health (IBH) programs enhance access to evidence-based interventions.
• Standardized tracking databases are crucial for measurement-based care in IBH.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and integration of a psychotherapy tracking database at Mayo Clinic.
• To support measurement-based care in pediatric and adult primary care settings.
• To provide a model for other IBH practices.

Main Methods:

• A large psychotherapy tracking database was developed and integrated with Mayo Clinic's electronic health record system.
• The database continuously populates patient variables including demographics, behavioral health issues, and self-reported symptoms.
• Data from June 2014 to June 2022 for adult and pediatric primary care psychotherapy programs were retrieved.

Main Results:

• The database included 16,923 adult and 6,298 pediatric patients.
• Demographic data and self-reported symptoms were captured for all patients.
• Practical applications across clinical, educational, research, and administrative domains were demonstrated.

Conclusions:

• A psychotherapy tracking database enhances clinician communication and patient outcome evaluation.
• The database facilitates practice quality improvement and clinically relevant research.
• Mayo Clinic's IBH database can serve as a valuable model for other IBH practices.