A single session assessment and psychoeducational intervention for eating disorders: Impact on treatment waitlists and eating disorder symptoms

Objective: Long waitlists are common in eating disorder services and can have a detrimental impact on patients. We examined the effect on waitlist length, attendance, and eating disorder symptoms, of a 75–90 min single session intervention (SSI), attended a median of 16 days after referral to a spec...

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Main Authors: Fursland, A., Erceg-Hurn, D., Byrne, S., McEvoy, Peter
Format: Journal Article
Published: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2018
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74348
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author Fursland, A.
Erceg-Hurn, D.
Byrne, S.
McEvoy, Peter
author_facet Fursland, A.
Erceg-Hurn, D.
Byrne, S.
McEvoy, Peter
author_sort Fursland, A.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Objective: Long waitlists are common in eating disorder services and can have a detrimental impact on patients. We examined the effect on waitlist length, attendance, and eating disorder symptoms, of a 75–90 min single session intervention (SSI), attended a median of 16 days after referral to a specialist eating disorders clinic. Method: Sequential referrals (N = 448) to a public outpatient eating disorders program were tracked from referral until a decision was made on patients entering treatment. One group (“SSI cohort”) received a protocol incorporating assessment and psychoeducation about eating disorders before being placed on a waitlist, after which they received further assessment and entered treatment. Data on patient flow indices were collected from this cohort and compared to data from a “Pre-SSI” cohort who had not received the SSI. Symptom change was examined in the SSI cohort. Results: Waitlist length reduced and the proportion of referrals attending assessment and being allocated to treatment increased. Eating disorder symptoms and impairment decreased. Underweight patients (Body Mass Index [BMI] < 18.5 kg/m2) gained weight. Discussion: These findings suggest that a single session psychoeducational assessment may reduce waiting times, increase the likelihood of patients entering treatment, and facilitate early reductions in eating disorder symptoms. However, there may be other explanations for the changes observed.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-743482019-05-08T03:53:25Z A single session assessment and psychoeducational intervention for eating disorders: Impact on treatment waitlists and eating disorder symptoms Fursland, A. Erceg-Hurn, D. Byrne, S. McEvoy, Peter Objective: Long waitlists are common in eating disorder services and can have a detrimental impact on patients. We examined the effect on waitlist length, attendance, and eating disorder symptoms, of a 75–90 min single session intervention (SSI), attended a median of 16 days after referral to a specialist eating disorders clinic. Method: Sequential referrals (N = 448) to a public outpatient eating disorders program were tracked from referral until a decision was made on patients entering treatment. One group (“SSI cohort”) received a protocol incorporating assessment and psychoeducation about eating disorders before being placed on a waitlist, after which they received further assessment and entered treatment. Data on patient flow indices were collected from this cohort and compared to data from a “Pre-SSI” cohort who had not received the SSI. Symptom change was examined in the SSI cohort. Results: Waitlist length reduced and the proportion of referrals attending assessment and being allocated to treatment increased. Eating disorder symptoms and impairment decreased. Underweight patients (Body Mass Index [BMI] < 18.5 kg/m2) gained weight. Discussion: These findings suggest that a single session psychoeducational assessment may reduce waiting times, increase the likelihood of patients entering treatment, and facilitate early reductions in eating disorder symptoms. However, there may be other explanations for the changes observed. 2018 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74348 10.1002/eat.22983 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. restricted
spellingShingle Fursland, A.
Erceg-Hurn, D.
Byrne, S.
McEvoy, Peter
A single session assessment and psychoeducational intervention for eating disorders: Impact on treatment waitlists and eating disorder symptoms
title A single session assessment and psychoeducational intervention for eating disorders: Impact on treatment waitlists and eating disorder symptoms
title_full A single session assessment and psychoeducational intervention for eating disorders: Impact on treatment waitlists and eating disorder symptoms
title_fullStr A single session assessment and psychoeducational intervention for eating disorders: Impact on treatment waitlists and eating disorder symptoms
title_full_unstemmed A single session assessment and psychoeducational intervention for eating disorders: Impact on treatment waitlists and eating disorder symptoms
title_short A single session assessment and psychoeducational intervention for eating disorders: Impact on treatment waitlists and eating disorder symptoms
title_sort single session assessment and psychoeducational intervention for eating disorders: impact on treatment waitlists and eating disorder symptoms
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/74348