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Tables
Additional Files
Supplemental Appendix
Supplemental Appendix. Patient Feedback.
Files in this Data Supplement:
- Supplemental data: Appendix - PDF file, 2 pages.
The Article in Brief
eCHAT: Lifestyle and Mental Health Screening in Primary Care
Felicity Goodyear-Smith , and colleagues
Background Developed by researchers in New Zealand, the webWeb-based eCHAT (electronic Case-Finding and Help Assessment Tool) screens patients for problematic drinking, smoking and other drug use, gambling, exposure to abuse, anxiety, depression, anger control, and physical activity, and whether they want help with these issues. This study assesses the feasibility and acceptability of systematic use of eCHAT.
What This Study Found eCHAT appears to be feasible, acceptable, and easily integrated into patients' electronic medical records. In this study, the tool was self-administered on an iPad in the waiting room by 196 consecutive patients visiting 2 primary care practices. Most patients found the iPad easy to use and the questions easy to understand and appropriate. Feedback from clinical and office staff was also generally positive. Domains where patients wanted immediate help were anxiety, depression, physical activity, and smoking. No patient requested help with more than one issue during the consultation, and physicians did not report being overwhelmed by the requests.
Implications
- eCHAT appears to be an acceptable tool for systematic finding of unhealthy behaviors and negative mood states in primary care. The authors suggest that the help question posed by the tool empowers patients to control the direction of their consultation, and call for future research to determine whether using eCHAT will lead to improved health outcomes.