Christina Neumayr1, Ulrich Voderholzer1,2,3, Jenna Tregarthen4, Sandra Schlegl3. 1. Schoen Clinic Roseneck, Prien am Chiemsee, Germany. 2. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Hospital of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany. 3. Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU), Munich, Germany. 4. Recovery Record Inc., San Francisco, California.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an innovative therapist-guided smartphone-based aftercare intervention following inpatient treatment of patients with severe anorexia nervosa (AN). METHOD: Forty female patients with AN (ICD-10: F50.0/F50.1) (aged: 15-36 years) were randomized either to an 8-week smartphone-based aftercare intervention (German version of "Recovery Record") with therapist feedback as an adjunct to treatment as usual (intervention group [IG]) or to treatment as usual alone (control group [CG]). Body mass index (BMI) and eating disorder (ED) symptoms were assessed at discharge (baseline), postintervention (after 8 weeks), and at 6-month follow-up. Additionally, patients' satisfaction, adherence to the smartphone-based intervention, and postdischarge health care utilization were evaluated. RESULTS: Patients showed a high level of adherence and reported a very high acceptance of the app and the aftercare intervention. We found at postintervention nonsignificant small to moderate between-group effect sizes favoring the IG regarding BMI (d = -0.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] [-0.90, 0.41]) and ED symptoms (Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire global: d = 0.56; 95% CI [-0.10, 1.22]). At 6-month follow-up, effects wore off and no significant differences between the IG and CG were evident. DISCUSSION: This was the first study to evaluate a therapist-guided smartphone-based aftercare intervention for discharged inpatients with AN. Results suggest that such an intervention is highly accepted by patients and that it could support symptom stabilization or continued improvement as an add-on therapy to treatment as usual. A larger scale randomized controlled trial is now planned to further evaluate the efficacy of this aftercare intervention for patients with AN.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of an innovative therapist-guided smartphone-based aftercare intervention following inpatient treatment of patients with severe anorexia nervosa (AN). METHOD: Forty female patients with AN (ICD-10: F50.0/F50.1) (aged: 15-36 years) were randomized either to an 8-week smartphone-based aftercare intervention (German version of "Recovery Record") with therapist feedback as an adjunct to treatment as usual (intervention group [IG]) or to treatment as usual alone (control group [CG]). Body mass index (BMI) and eating disorder (ED) symptoms were assessed at discharge (baseline), postintervention (after 8 weeks), and at 6-month follow-up. Additionally, patients' satisfaction, adherence to the smartphone-based intervention, and postdischarge health care utilization were evaluated. RESULTS:Patients showed a high level of adherence and reported a very high acceptance of the app and the aftercare intervention. We found at postintervention nonsignificant small to moderate between-group effect sizes favoring the IG regarding BMI (d = -0.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] [-0.90, 0.41]) and ED symptoms (Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire global: d = 0.56; 95% CI [-0.10, 1.22]). At 6-month follow-up, effects wore off and no significant differences between the IG and CG were evident. DISCUSSION: This was the first study to evaluate a therapist-guided smartphone-based aftercare intervention for discharged inpatients with AN. Results suggest that such an intervention is highly accepted by patients and that it could support symptom stabilization or continued improvement as an add-on therapy to treatment as usual. A larger scale randomized controlled trial is now planned to further evaluate the efficacy of this aftercare intervention for patients with AN.
Authors: Joanna E Steinglass; Evelyn Attia; Deborah R Glasofer; Yuanjia Wang; Julia Ruggiero; B Timothy Walsh; J Graham Thomas Journal: Int J Eat Disord Date: 2022-04-30 Impact factor: 5.791
Authors: Katrin Elisabeth Giel; Peter Martus; Kathrin Schag; Stephan Herpertz; Tobias Hofmann; Antonius Schneider; Martin Teufel; Ulrich Voderholzer; Jörn von Wietersheim; Beate Wild; Almut Zeeck; Wolfgang Bethge; Ulrike Schmidt; Stephan Zipfel; Florian Junne Journal: J Eat Disord Date: 2021-05-19