Online Training in the Fundamentals of Eating Disorders Treatment

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a Phase I Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant application to support the development of an innovative, online training program to aid in the dissemination of evidence-based Eating Disorder (ED) treatments (e.g., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Bulimia Nervosa (BN) and Binge Eating Disorder (BED) . The current application represents a cooperative partnership between 1) the co-PI (Safer) and co-Investigator (Agras), who with a consortium of Eating Disorders experts, will develop and evaluate the efficacy of an online training program (Online Training in the Fundamentals of Eating Disorders Treatment; ED-OLT) and 2) the small business, Behavioral Tech Research, Inc., a company dedicated to disseminating effective psychosocial treatments. The overarching goal of this project is to ultimately facilitate the dissemination and implementation of efficacious evidence-based interventions for EDs. Specifically, the initial aims of this Phase I proposal are to: 1) determine content for the prototype ED-OLT utilizing an consortium of ED experts; 2) create the prototype ED-OLT using an iterative process of development and evaluation; and, 3) conduct a feasibility pilot study (n=40) using a randomized controlled trial to evaluate gains in knowledge, recall of the foundational ED content, and interest in pursuing further training in evidence-based behavioral protocols for specific EDs. In the event of a successful Phase I test of feasibility, we will substantially expand the multimedia program and its evaluation in Phase II. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Eating Disorders (EDs) are pervasive and debilitating disorders, for which the majority of individuals receive no or inadequate treatment, despite the fact that efficacious treatments exist. Increasing the availability of evidence-based treatments requires widely available and effective training materials that will facilitate the utilization of such approaches by practicing clinicians. This project aims to develop and test an innovative interactive online training in treating EDs by first convening a consortium of ED experts to develop a blueprint of commonalities across ED treatments; this blueprint will serve as the basis for a prototype online training course (ED-OLT) designed to serve as a prerequisite to further in-depth ED training in evidence-based treatments for EDs.