About this course
The pandemic ushered in the age of telemedicine, reshaping how eating disorder treatment is delivered and presenting opportunities to expand access to care and increase the percent of people who get care for an eating disorder beyond the typical 20-30% frequently cited statistic. What is not changing is the need for evidence-based messages aimed at helping families understand what eating disorder care entails. While the opportunity for expansion has increased access for some, it has also introduced new complexities for families and providers. Amid these shifts, families and clinicians have expressed growing concern about one-size-fits-all messaging that overlooks important clinical factors such as a patient's acuity, age, life circumstances, and support system. These messages can be misleading, and in some cases, harmful. Treatment that isn't intensive enough may fail to interrupt the eating disorder and leave a person stuck and sicker than before. Treatment that is not flexible and tailored enough to the individual may be uninviting and unacceptable to individuals and families. When a selected care intervention proves inadequate, individuals and families may feel blindsided, hopeless, or even blamed for not doing enough. The reality is: there is no single path to recovery. Eating disorders are serious, multifaceted illnesses - and effective care must be personalized and grounded in evidence. In response to these concerns, and in direct answer to calls from the field, this panel has been designed to shine a light on the evolution of care post-pandemic, discuss the challenges and opportunities that exist, and to equip providers with tools and information to help families and providers navigate a complex and evolving landscape, where treatment options vary widely in structure, intensity, and quality. Offering commentary sourced from across the field, we will highlight these issues and offer tools focused on bringing clarity on what responsible care looks like and how to make thoughtful, informed choices in a time of uncertainty. Most importantly, it aims to expand our collective ability to answer to the question so many patients and families are asking: Is this treatment the right fit for me or my loved one? Bring your thoughts, questions, and open minds to the conversation - as a field we need to tackle these sticky questions together!
