Using Technology to Support Measurement-Based Care: Design and Implementation of the Measurement-Assisted Care...

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• Health Informatics
• Clinical Quality Improvement

Background:

• Measurement-based care (MBC) is crucial for effective psychiatric treatment.
• Integrating MBC into routine clinical workflows presents challenges in academic settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate the Measurement-Assisted Care (MAC) program to increase MBC in an outpatient academic psychiatry service.
• To assess the impact of MAC on the completion rates of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs).

Main Methods:

• The MAC program integrated standardized PROMs (PHQ-9, GAD-7, etc.) into the electronic check-in process.
• Patient responses were automatically routed to clinicians' electronic health records.
• The program was rolled out in two phases, with clinician surveys conducted 3-6 months post-implementation.

Main Results:

• PHQ-9 completion rates increased from 5% to 66% (Phase 1) and 60% (Phase 2).
• PROM completion was higher for telehealth (70%) than in-person (40%) visits.
• Clinician adoption was high (78% use MAC data to guide care), with 90% finding it useful.

Conclusions:

• The MAC program successfully increased PROM completion rates, particularly in telehealth settings.
• Technology-enabled workflows can enhance the capture and use of patient-reported outcomes in high-telehealth utilization systems.
• Clinicians reported frequent use and discussion of MAC data with patients, indicating its clinical utility.