PROJECT ABSTRACT
Eating disorders (EDs) affect at least 5% of adolescents and are associated with high rates of psychiatric
comorbidity, suicidality, and medical complications, which necessitate a sensitive, multidisciplinary approach to
care. Despite their prevalence, these disorders are often not recognized until symptoms reach a severity level
requiring intensive, invasive, and costly treatment. Primary care providers (PCPs) are typically the first point of
contact for families with an adolescent suffering from an ED, yet they are frequently under-trained to recognize
early signs/symptoms or develop an appropriate management plan. Indeed, there currently are no validated
screening tools for adolescent EDs in primary care, most PCPs lack confidence and competence to adequately
assess and diagnose these conditions, and access to trained specialty providers with whom to consult and/or
refer is limited by geographic region, cost, and lack of familiarity. Compounding these problems is a lack of
evidence-based guidelines describing the role of PCP on the treatment team, best practices for supporting
patients, families, and other providers, and optimal content and format for PCP training and continuing
education. To advance evidence-based assessment and management of pediatric EDs in primary care,
scientists, clinicians, and community collaborators from within and outside the ED field must identify critical
gaps and priorities for the next generation of patient/provider-centered research. In this R13 application (co-
funded by AHRQ and Equip Health, Inc.), we propose a small Research Development conference to support
creation of a “research roadmap” supporting development of an evidence base on which PCPs could rely to
inform education needs and practical screening, diagnosis, and treatment decisions. Presentations will focus
on screening/early recognition, optimizing the PCP’s role on the treatment team, developing training and
continuing education curricula, and catering to needs of special populations, all of which will be informed by the
lived experience of patients, families, and clinicians to ensure future research activities meet their needs.
Breakout discussions will facilitate consensus-building around the most critical unaddressed scientific
questions related to pediatric EDs in primary care. Deliverables from this conference include a workshop report
outlining a research agenda on ED recognition and management in primary care, and an accompanying
scholarly publication. At a time when EDs are increasingly costly to both the individual and society, this
conference will lay the groundwork for establishing a collaborative strategy to advance evidence-based care in
primary care settings.
