An evaluation of the clinician-facing research dashboards from the Toronto Adolescent and Youth (TAY) Cohort Study in mental health care

Dashboards that integrate patient research data for clinical use can streamline information sharing and support clinical care, yet their application in mental health care is underexplored. This study evaluated the clinician-facing dashboards developed from the Toronto Adolescent & Youth (TAY) Cohort Study at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), guided by the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Dashboard reach was assessed through quantitative analyses, while semi-structured interviews with seven clinicians were conducted to explore perceptions of effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Quantitative analyses demonstrate that dashboards are completed for 69% of participants. Following the initial implementation phase, the average time from participant consent to dashboard completion decreases to six months. Qualitative findings suggest that dashboards can serve as a supplementary information source that may aid in supporting clinical decision-making and the integration of patient-reported research data into care. Clinicians also identified areas for improvement, including delays in dashboard completion, difficulty locating dashboards, and inefficient dashboard completion notifications. Clinicians suggested that addressing these areas through improved accessibility, timely data availability, and aligned communication strategies can increase uptake and sustainability. These findings emphasize the value of engaging end users and conducting ongoing evaluation to optimize the integration of research data into clinical workflows using dashboards to enhance mental health care. Future research should further examine factors influencing dashboard use across mental health care settings.