Telehealth provides a feasible platform to deliver family-based treatment to anorexia patients, according to a study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.
The researchers — led by Kristen E. Anderson of the Chicago Center for Evidence Based Treatment — enrolled 10 adolescents with anorexia nervosa into a telehealth program offering family-based treatment. All 10 participants completed the course of treatment.
The researchers found the median body mass index of the cohort significantly improved during the course of treatment, from baseline to six-month follow-up.
"These findings provide preliminary evidence that it is feasible to deliver [family-based treatment] via telehealth and that satisfactory clinical outcomes are achievable," the study authors concluded.