Integrating the Electronic Health Record into Behavioral Health Encounters: Strategies, Barriers, and Implications for Practice

Despite increasing rates of electronic health record (EHR) adoption, the impact of these systems on the delivery of behavioral health treatment remains poorly understood. This qualitative study examined the experiences of 37 behavioral health providers using EHRs during face-to-face visits. Providers described environmental, relational and system related strategies that were used to meaningfully integrate EHRs into treatment and enhance the patient-centeredness of clinical encounters. Barriers to deploying these techniques were also identified. Results contribute to limited research exploring EHR use in behavioral health care, and provide important insight into how systems can be optimized within this context.