Digital Health News

The Depression and Anxiety Encounter Assistant (EA) tool is a point-and-click template that supports clinicians using electronic medical records (EMRs) in the screening and management of mental health. 

The tool focuses primarily on depression and anxiety, and incorporates guidelines and recommendations from:

• Health Quality Ontario (HQO): Quality Standards for Major Depression (2016)
• Centre for Effective Practice (CEP): Keeping Your Patient Safe
• Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT): 2016 Clinical Guidelines for the Management of Adults with Major Depressive Disorder 
• Clinicians who specialize in mental health

The EA tool links to resources for prescribing and switching different medications, and helps with recording and tracking relevant metrics such as the PHQ-9, GAD-7, SDS and LEAPS. It is compatible with the Ocean platform, and portions of the tool can be automatically populated with information provided by the patient on the tablet.

The tool was built by the eHealth Centre of Excellence’s QBIC (Quality Based Improvements in Care) team, in collaboration with clinicians and members of the Guelph Family Health Team (FHT). Dr. Joan Chan was very involved in the development of the tool, and has this to say about it:

For more information on the Depression and Anxiety EA tool, please contact QBIC Change Management Specialist Stephanie Chin at [email protected].