Improving eating disorder care for underserved groups: a lived experience and quality improvement perspective

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Eating Disorder Treatment
• Patient-Centered Care

Background:

• Eating disorder (ED) care globally, particularly within the UK's National Health Service (NHS), faces significant challenges requiring urgent improvements.
• This commentary leverages lived experience, independent research, and quality improvement (QI) principles to address gaps in ED care.
• International research informs the discussion, aiming for broad applicability beyond the UK context.

Discussion:

• Identifies 12 specific underserved groups (USGs) in ED care: individuals with longstanding or older-age EDs, younger children, those with under-recognized EDs, higher weights, comorbidities, neurodevelopmental conditions, digital exclusion, socioeconomic/geographic disadvantages, ethnic/racial minorities, sexual/gender minorities, males, and caregivers.
• Highlights that ED sufferers and caregivers are broadly underserved in mental health care.
• Discusses systemic issues including stigma, research biases, diagnostic/monitoring inadequacies, poor treatment quality, service transition issues, inefficiencies, and underfunding.

Key Insights:

• Specific recommendations are needed for each of the 12 identified underserved groups.
• A humanistic care model, emphasizing compassion, hope, empathy, appreciation, and patience (CHEAP), is advocated.
• Addressing broader systemic issues is crucial for comprehensive ED care improvement.

Outlook:

• Future publications will explore broader considerations for improving ED care, including stigma reduction and research bias.
• Implementing tailored strategies for underserved groups is essential for equitable ED treatment.
• The adoption of a humanistic, CHEAP care model can transform patient experiences and outcomes in ED care.