Key Messages

• COVID-19 created an urgent need to adapt evidence-based eating disorder (ED) care to virtual formats for children and adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa.
• Using a mixed methods design, our clinical trial examines the implementation of virtual Family-Based Treatment (vFBT) in four pediatric ED programs across Ontario.
• We developed implementation teams at each site (consisting of therapists, medical practitioners, and program administrators), and will provide a remote training workshop on vFBT and offer ongoing consultation during the initial implementation phases.
• Our main outcomes include maintaining key components of FBT, fidelity to vFBT, implementation team and family experiences of vFBT, and patient outcomes.

Lay Summary

We received research ethics approval from our institution as well as from our four participating sites. We are in the process of obtaining consent from our therapist, medical practitioner, and program administrator participants through virtual meetings. We are preparing for our vFBT training workshop, which is mandatory for these participants, and will be hosted via Zoom Healthcare on March 5th, 2021. Following the vFBT training workshop, we will be recruiting eligible patients and their families (using an e-flyer and with the help of participating therapists) and we will obtain their consent to participate in the study through virtual meetings.

Author(s)

• Nominated Principal Applicant: Dr. Jennifer Couturier, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University

Population

Children, Youth and Families, Chronic Disease and/or Mental Illness

Language

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