Implementation Barriers to Digital Mental Health Screening: A Qualitative Study of CAT-MH Implementations

The implementation of digital mental health screening tools shows promise for better identifying mental health needs in primary care settings, but their adoption remains challenging. This study uses CAT-MH as an example to investigate implementation barriers that prevent these tools from being integrated into clinical workflows across various healthcare settings. Following an exploratory qualitative design, we conducted interviews with eight healthcare professionals who have practical experience in implementing CAT-MH in their institutions. We used the EPIS framework to develop interview protocols and data analysis procedures. Our analysis revealed three primary barriers to implementation of CAT-MH: (1) EHR integration, (2) ambiguous role definitions and (3) insufficient organizational support. Our findings indicate that institutional-level coordination between stakeholders that influence system-wide implementation and clinical workflows must improve to support both effective integration and sustained use of innovative digital screening tool.