Electronic health records in mental health research: a framework for developing valid research methods.

This Open Forum describes research methods to ensure high-quality health services research using electronic health records (EHRs) as a data source. The authors describe unique characteristics of EHRs that could introduce data inaccuracies into research, and they outline a framework for methods to evaluate the validity of EHR-derived data, including the development of data extraction rules and ways to validate those rules. The authors argue that the use of such methods will help ensure the validity of research using EHRs as a data source.