Eating disorder risk identification through embedded electronic medical record prompting

Objective: To evaluate whether the use of electronic medical record (EMR) to prompt universal eating disorder screening with a short questionnaire improved risk detection in a college gynecology clinic. Design: Data obtained via a convenience sample of patients accessing a university health clinic. Clinicians were prompted with the SCOFF tool, a 5-item questionnaire for eating disorder risk with sensitivity of 87.5% and specificity of 95%. Participants: 111 Female-identified patients, ages 18-37. Methods: Clinicians assessed eating disorder symptoms via EMR prompting. Comparison of risk identification from the previous year, in which patients were not universally screened, was conducted via EMR review. Results: Findings showed improved risk identification compared with previous year's symptom-only identification (p = .0047). Conclusion: The SCOFF tool, combined with EMR prompting, can improve eating disorder risk detection.