Study Objective
While positive outcomes of virtual care are well supported, and while
its merits are significant, gaps in literature exist when considering
efficacy of virtually delivered FBT. The aim of this case study is to
examine the treatment of two patients with eating disorders using an
augmented virtual FBT approach provided by Equip Behavioral Health. We
enrolled 2 families in a beta trial from April to May 2020, providing 4
weeks of no-cost treatment. The conventional treatment team consisting
of a family therapist and registered dietitian was enhanced by the
addition of a ‘lived experience’ arm consisting of a peer mentor and
family mentor. The care team held individual sessions weekly (at
minimum, with additional sessions available upon request) with parents,
patient or both, via Equip’s HIPAA compliant telehealth platform. For
these trial cases, medical care was provided locally for participants
outside of the Equip system. We tracked outcomes and solicited feedback
via a combination of surveys and assessments, typically at both baseline
and discharge. The primary outcome of this study was weight change in
participants with the expectation that each patient gain an average of
one pound per week during the 4 weeks of treatment. Secondary outcomes
are changes in GAD-7, PHQ-9, and EDE-QS scores over time, with the
expectation that scores on these scales would decrease during the 4
weeks of treatment. In addition to these clinical measures, we aimed to
evaluate comfort level with the technological aspects of the telehealth
platform.
Methods: