Eating Disorder Screening, Evaluation, and Referral in the Primary Care Setting

Nearly one person out of 20 is at risk of developing an eating disorder in his or her lifetime. Young teens and young adults are at the greatest risk of developing an eating disorder, as peak onset is between the ages of 13-14, and 17-18. Identifying individuals at a young age and at early stages of an eating disorder has the greatest chance of remission without relapse when treated by an eating disorder (ED) program. Early intervention is also the best predictor of success in treatment. Primary care providers and interdisciplinary professionals serve a crucial role in identifying symptoms of an eating disorder. Suspicions of disordered eating should prompt appropriate screening and timely referrals to a multidisciplinary ED program.;After extensive literature review and synthesis, an educational presentation was created as a resource to serve the need for improved eating disorder recognition and screening in adolescents and young adults. The presentation was given to interdisciplinary professionals in two university settings. The content included symptoms of disordered eating, screening tools, appropriate diagnostic tests, and methods for referral to a specialty program. Attendees were given a pre-test and post-test before and after the presentation, and were also asked to evaluate the presentation.;The scores on the respective tests, and the responses on the evaluation, reflected the effectiveness of the presentation. The attendees' knowledge of ED content had increased based on the gathered data. The overall improvement from the averaged pre-test to post-test score was approximately 24 percent. Moreover, nearly every attendee reported his/her knowledge of eating disorders had improved after attending the presentation. Approximately 91% (90.91%, n=18) indicated he or she had an increased understanding of eating disorders. A majority of the attendees reported he or she would recommend the ED presentation to other clinicians and interdisciplinary professionals. Evidence suggests primary care providers' efforts to screen, identify, and refer individuals he/she suspect to have an eating disorder to a multidisciplinary ED team will significantly improve detection and treatment of an ED individual. In turn, improved screening and referrals should decrease morbidity and mortality.