Traditional versus virtual partial hospital programme for eating disorders: Feasibility and preliminary comparison of effects

Abstract

ObjectiveMinimal research has examined teletherapy for group or intensive eating disorder (ED) treatment, particularly partial hospital programme (PHP). This study compared treatment outcomes for individuals treated before and after a pandemic‐driven implementation of virtual PHP.MethodPatients received care at ED treatment centres using the Renfrew Unified Treatment for Eating Disorders and Comorbidity. Patients treated with virtual PHP were compared to patients treated with traditional PHP. Measures of ED symptomology and behaviours, depressive symptoms, anxiety severity, anxiety sensitivity, experiential avoidance, mindfulness, and body mass index (BMI; reported for anorexia nervosa [AN] patients only) were collected at intake and discharge. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the effect of treatment group on outcomes, controlling for intake score, comorbidity, discharge status, AN diagnosis, and step‐down status.ResultsDifferences in treatment type were only found for binge eating frequency, with those in virtual PHP reporting significantly lower binge eating episodes at discharge than those in traditional PHP. Body mass index showed significantly less improvement in virtual PHP than in traditional PHP.ConclusionsPreliminary results suggest virtual PHP is feasible and effective, potentially increasing access to evidence‐based, intensive ED treatment. However, additional research is needed to establish efficacious support for weight gain among individuals with AN in virtual programs.

Weight Restoration and Symptom Remission for Longstanding, Untreated Anorexia Nervosa in a Remote Eating Disorder Treatment Program: A Case Study

“…The findings from this case contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting the effectiveness of remote care at the intermediate level (Blalock et al, 2020;Carr et al, 2022;Levinson et al, 2021;Ortiz et al, 2023;Penwell et al, 2023) as well as the potential to reach individuals who may otherwise not be able to access treatment (Kazdin et al, 2017). The circumstances of this case are unusual in that as the pandemic has subsided, this exact scenario may be less likely to occur for others.…”

“…Emerging technology-based or -enabled treatment options offer promise in addressing this need (Kazdin et al, 2017). While limited research exists, findings have supported the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of remote treatment at intermediate levels of care for adults with AN (Blalock et al, 2020; Carr et al, 2022; Levinson et al, 2021; Ortiz et al, 2023; Penwell et al, 2023). Specifically, these studies show positive outcomes for ED symptoms, quality of life/impairment, and co-occurring symptoms like depression and anxiety.…”

“…Despite these promising findings, concerns remain regarding the ability to successfully and safely weight restore in remote treatment. Results are conflicting, with some studies showing comparable weight-related outcomes for in-person and remote treatment (Levinson et al, 2021;Ortiz et al, 2023) and others showing greater improvements for in-person (Carr et al, 2022;Penwell et al, 2023). One potential explanation for this discrepancy is the use of self-reported weights in remote treatment, which could cause data quality issues and/or iatrogenic awareness of weight interfering with the ability to restore (Froreich et al, 2020).…”

The Journey from Non-Immersive to Immersive Multi-user Applications in Mental Health Care: Systematic Review (Preprint)

“…Gerson, et al [23] Zimmerman, et al [24] Hollis, et al [25] Brownstone, et al [26] Wang, ,et al, [27] Penwell, et al [28] Conroy, et al [ Zaccari, et al [32] El Ayadi, et al [33] Mendelson, et al [34] Ali, etal. [ qualitative semi structured interview.…”