A help or a hindrance: The role of electronic health records in implementing new practices in community mental health clinics

Objective: Practice innovation requires adequate organizational resources. Electronic health records (EHRs) are a key organizational resource affecting routine practice delivery, although their capacity to support practice innovation in mental health is largely unknown. This study examined the influenceof EHR availability oncommunitymental health clinic (CMHC) providers' fidelity to person-centered care planning (PCCP), an emergent practice that integrates person-centered principles into the mental health service planning process. Methods: Participants included direct providers and supervisors implementing PCCP in seven CMHCs. Fidelity to PCCP was measured by using chart reviews of 378 service plans across three time points. Mixed-effects regression models were used to examine the influence of EHR availability on fidelity to PCCP at each time point. Results: Findings suggest that EHRs did not influence PCCP delivery at baseline but were positively associated with fidelity postimplementation. Conclusions: EHRs are an organizational resource that can support practice innovation in mental health when paired with clinic-wide implementation efforts.