Remote consultation with people with eating disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Camila Biscacio Falco, Maria Angélica de Almeida Peres, Jose Carlos Appolinario and 2 others
PMID 36449964WHAT IT FOUND
People with eating disorders found remote care important for staying connected to support during the pandemic, but some preferred in-person care and worried about weight monitoring and prescriptions.
Key findings
01Remote care was described as protective and necessary because access to professionals helped people verbalize feelings and feel welcomed.
02Some said remote care did not harm the support they already had, and some valued more flexible schedules, while others preferred face-to-face care or reported technology problems.
03Despite limitations, participants viewed remote care as the only viable way to continue treatment during the pandemic.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study analysed only the lexical class about professional mental health support, so other themes from the interviews are not reported. Participants were already linked to one outpatient service and had to maintain adequate attendance, so people who disengaged or could not access remote care may be missing. The sample was all female and dominated by binge-eating disorder diagnoses, so experiences may not represent men or other eating disorders. The study reports patients' experiences, not symptom, weight, adherence or safety outcomes, so it cannot show whether remote care worked clinically. The authors note remote care cannot easily monitor weight, vital signs or physical examination, and may be unsuitable for users with significant cognitive, visual, auditory deficits, non-collaborative behaviour or psychosis.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that remote care treats eating disorders effectively or is equivalent to face-to-face care. It describes how patients experienced remote care, not symptom, weight or safety outcomes.