Implementing Diabetes Eating Problem Survey - Revised in pediatric type 1 diabetes care: Clinician reflections on...

Adolescents with type 1 diabetes have an increased risk of disordered eating; however, these symptoms may be underrecognized by clinicians. The aim of this study was to explore clinicians' perspectives and experiences on implementing the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised (DEPS-R) as a screening tool for disordered eating in a multidisciplinary care setting at a pediatric diabetes clinic.

A qualitative approach using Interpretive Description methodology was employed. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 clinicians, including pediatricians, nurses, dietitians, psychologists and psychiatrists.

Four main themes were identified covering the relevance of DEPS-R as a supplement to the clinical expertise and intuition, enhancing conversations, interdisciplinary collaboration, engaging families and implementation challenges. Clinicians found DEPS-R valuable for detecting disordered eating, facilitating deeper patient conversations and supporting early intervention. Key challenges included time constraints and the need for further training.

Clinicians found DEPS-R to be a valuable addition to their practice for identifying disordered eating in youths with type 1 diabetes, but effective implementation requires interdisciplinary collaboration, management support and continuous optimization for clinical use.