Action Anxiety Day: Supporting Evidence-Based Mental Health Care

This week (June 10) marks Action Anxiety Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about anxiety disorders and encouraging meaningful action to improve mental health care and support.

At Amplify Care, we are committed to equipping primary care clinicians with practical, evidence-based tools that help them provide high-quality care when and where it matters most: at the point of care.

As a co-lead of Evidence2Practice Ontario (E2P), we work alongside partners across the healthcare system to develop and implement free clinical tools that integrate directly into frontline electronic medical record (EMR) systems. By embedding evidence-based guidance into existing clinical workflows, E2P helps ensure clinicians can access current quality standards quickly and easily during patient encounters.

One example is E2P’s EMR-integrated tool for Anxiety Disorders and Major Depression in adults, available in TELUS PS Suite, OSCAR Pro, and Accuro QHR. Designed specifically for primary care clinicians, the tool provides streamlined access to evidence-based guidance that supports assessment, diagnosis, management, and transitions in care.

The need for effective mental health care has never been greater. More than 9 million Canadians will experience a mental illness during their lifetime. Primary care is often the first point of contact for individuals seeking help, making timely access to clinical guidance essential.

The Anxiety Disorders and Major Depression tool helps clinicians by:

Supporting Screening and Assessment

The tool surfaces evidence-based guidance to assist clinicians in identifying patients with risk factors for anxiety or depression and provides practical support for completing comprehensive assessments.

Optimizing Management Decisions

Clinicians can access guidance aligned with a stepped-care approach, including recommendations for first-line therapies based on patient-specific factors. The tool also helps streamline navigation of available services and supports.

Empowering Patient Self-Management

A patient- and caregiver-facing printable component clearly outlines treatment and management plans while connecting individuals to accessible local and virtual resources.

To support successful implementation, E2P also offers change management services, including tailored coaching, facilitated installation and training, and workflow reviews to help clinics maximize efficiency and adoption.

In addition, academic detailing services from our partners at the Centre for Effective Practice provide one-on-one discussions with trained pharmacists to support clinicians in areas such as:

• Identifying who and how to screen
• Individualizing therapy through shared decision-making
• Finding accessible, affordable, and local resources for patients

Accessible. Actionable. Adaptable.

These principles guide E2P’s work to bring multidisciplinary, cross-sector expertise together under the joint leadership of Amplify Care, the Centre for Effective Practice, and North York General Hospital.

This Action Anxiety Day, we recognize the important role primary care plays in supporting mental health and reaffirm our commitment to helping clinicians deliver evidence-based, person-centred care. By putting trusted guidance directly into clinical workflows, we can help improve access to high-quality mental health care for patients across Ontario.

Did you know? You can download the tool directly from our website at no cost to you! Please get in touch if you need any support with implementation.