Medical Providers' Screening, Training and Intervention Practices for Eating Disorders

Abstract

Individuals struggling with an eating disorder are typically first seen by their family physician, yet little is known about how medical providers are trained to work with eating disorders or about their screening and intervention practices (Clarke & Polimeni-Walker, 2004). This study sought to examine frontline medical providers' eating disorder screening and intervention practices as well as their training needs. Medical providers' perspectives were elicited through survey data and semi-structured interview data. Seventy-eight percent of survey respondents reported that they had patients with eating disorders who they were unsure how to treat and 54% reported either moderately or strongly supporting universal screening for eating disorders with all patients regardless of presenting issue. Qualitative themes including challenges and barriers to effective screening, desire for increased eating disorder trainings, and fear of incompetence emerged from the interviews. Training implications and future research directions are discussed.

Educating Medical Students About Anorexia Nervosa: A Potential Method for Reducing the Volitional Stigma Associated With the Disorder

“…Studies assessing the attitudes of medical professionals (e.g., general practitioners, pediatricians, medical registrars, gynecologists, and obstetricians) have also demonstrated health professionals lack confidence, or feel a lack of competence, in treating EDs, particularly AN (Boulé & McSherry, 2002;Linville, Benton, O'Neil, & Sturm, 2010). Many physicians have been found to feel uncomfortable in the treatment and management of ED patients, and often report their undergraduate studies and entry-level training did not provide adequate education in relation to the etiology, treatment, and management of EDs (Walker & Lloyd, 2012).…”

2016 update on eating disorders in athletes: A comprehensive narrative review with a focus on clinical assessment and management

“…In the USA, it is estimated that 10 million women, and 1 million men will suffer from a clinically significant eating disorder in their lifetime 4 5. Given the secretive nature and denial surrounding eating disorders, these numbers likely grossly under-represent the total disease burden in the US population.…”

Improving Collaborative Care in Managing Eating Disorders: A Pilot Study

“…Studies show that medical practitioners have limited familiarity with local referral options but are enthusiastic about working collaboratively to provide care. For example, Linville et al 6 and Linville et al 1 highlighted physician and nurse practitioner interest in interprofessional care for eating disorders. Similarly, in describing an interprofessional continuing mental health educational program, Heath et al 36 noted that the opportunity for interprofessional interaction was the most highly valued component of the program, although the focus was not on eating disorders.…”

“…Primary care providers often feel unprepared to identify [1][2][3] and manage 1,[4][5][6] complex chronic disorders, especially in the area of mental health, [7][8][9][10] suggesting a need for education and support. Rural health professionals report even greater struggles, including lack of resources, training constraints, and professional isolation.…”