Improving Mental Health Outcomes at Scale through Technology-Enabled Measurement-Based Care-View Presentation

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The American Psychiatric Association hosted a webinar moderated by Dr. Nitin Gokte on "Improving Mental Health Outcomes at Scale through Technology-Enabled Measurement-Based Care," featuring Dr. Andrew Carlo and Dr. Karleen McMillan. Measurement-Based Care (MBC) involves regularly using validated tools, such as symptom scales, to inform psychiatric treatment decisions collaboratively with patients. This approach improves outcomes, engagement, and value demonstration in psychiatric care.<br /><br />Barriers to implementing MBC exist at patient, practitioner, organizational, and system levels. Patients may worry about privacy or find completing assessments burdensome; clinicians may doubt the utility of standardized measures or fear increased administrative tasks; organizations struggle with integrating tools into workflows and training; and systemic factors include inconsistent payer incentives. Facilitators include leveraging technology, local champions, leadership support, training, incentives, and learning collaboratives.<br /><br />Emerging technologies that support MBC include digital assessment tools, computerized adaptive testing to reduce patient burden, wearables, passive monitoring via smartphones, and AI-driven predictive analytics. These innovations enable more flexible, continuous, and objective patient monitoring, though challenges remain related to privacy, integration with electronic health records (EHRs), data overload, and reimbursement.<br /><br />The clinicians emphasized the critical role of the therapeutic relationship, noting that AI will augment but not replace psychiatrists. AI holds promise for clinical decision support, especially in risk assessment and treatment personalization, but cannot replicate the creativity and discretion integral to psychiatric care.<br /><br />For clinicians starting private practices, low-cost digital tools (e.g., HIPAA-compliant Google Forms) and integration strategies were recommended to facilitate adoption. Integrating MBC into training and workflows is essential for widespread uptake.<br /><br />Finally, integration of MBC and technology with diagnostic frameworks like the DSM was identified as a future direction to enhance care quality, accessibility, and clinical utility.

Keywords

Measurement-Based Care

Mental Health Outcomes

Technology-Enabled Care

Psychiatric Treatment

Symptom Scales

Digital Assessment Tools

Computerized Adaptive Testing

Wearables in Psychiatry

AI in Mental Health

Therapeutic Relationship

Electronic Health Records Integration

Mental Health Practice Management