Using Visual Feedback to Influence Rapid Response in the Treatment of Eating Disorders

St. Joseph's Healthcare Hamilton

Status: Terminated

Conditions: Bulimia Nervosa; Binge Eating Disorder

Treatments: Behavioral: Visual feedback of symptom frequency

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT02940613

STJOES2016PAC

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study has two aims: 1) to test the validity of an eating disorder symptom checklist against an established clinical interview; and 2) to examine whether providing eating disorder patients with visual graphs of their symptom frequency in the early sessions of active treatment will lead to higher numbers of patients achieving a "rapid response" (65% reduction in symptoms in the first 4 weeks of treatment). Groups where patients receive visual graphs of symptom frequency will be compared with groups where patients do not receive visual graphs of symptom frequency on rates of rapid response to cognitive behavior treatment for eating disorders.

Full description

There is a growing body of research indicating that the best predictor of treatment outcome for eating disorders is a "rapid response" - or a 65% drop in symptoms such as binge eating or purging - in the first four weeks of Cognitive Behavior Treatment (CBT). Research is only now beginning to look at whether it is possible to increase the number of rapid responders by directly encouraging this behavior in patients. This study has two aims: 1) to validate information obtained about symptoms in a Weekly Symptom Checklist (WSC) against information obtained in clinical interview; and 2) to examine whether, in a context where rapid response is being discussed and actively encouraged, the rates of rapid response can be improved by providing patients with visual of symptom change in the first weeks of treatment. Investigators hypothesize that there will be significant correspondence between the WSC and clinical interview. Investigators also hypothesize that being given a visual of symptom change in the first weeks of treatment will result in higher rates of rapid response in patients being encouraged to achieve these objectives; and that rapid response will be related to higher rates of symptom remission at the end of treatment. Participants will be 40 patients diagnosed with Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder or Purging Disorder. These patients will be spread across 6 treatment groups. Three groups will be randomly selected (balanced across clinicians) to either receive or not receive visual feedback on change in frequency of symptoms based on their responses to the Weekly Symptom Checklist (WSC).

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18+ years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• BMI (Body Mass Index) over 19
• Diagnosis of Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, or Other Specified Feeding and Eating Disorder (OSFED) Purging Disorder.

Exclusion criteria

• BMI below 19

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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80 participants in 2 patient groups

Visual feedback of symptom frequency

Experimental group

Description:

Participants in this arm receive visual feedback of their symptom frequency over the first 4 weeks of active treatment, based on information they provide on a symptom checklist.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Visual feedback of symptom frequency

No visual feedback of symptom frequency

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants in this arm complete the symptom checklist as is typically done during treatment, but receive no visual feedback of their self-reported symptom frequency over the first 4 weeks of active treatment.