Use of Telehealth in the Management of Adolescent Eating Disorders: Patient Perspectives and Future Directions Suggested from the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Efforts to increase accessibility of eating disorder (ED) treatment via telemedicine have been ongoing for the past decades. However, there has been a recent surge in research focused on remote delivery of interventions since the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) in 2020, the related lockdowns, and an exponential increase in ED symptoms in youth secondary to the pandemic worldwide. In the current review, we provide a focused summary of existing literature regarding telehealth for the treatment of EDs in adolescents using a frame of past, present, and future work. Specifically, we begin with a brief overview of research in remote delivery for EDs in youth prior to 2020. Then, we detail more recent studies in this domain, with a focus on research conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic. We close by outlining limitations of the existing data and future steps necessary to expand the rigor and impact of this work. Overall, there are considerable limitations associated with research conducted during the pandemic, but an increase in the acceptability of remote delivery methods and interest in hybrid care appears to be feasible, and likely to be lasting. Future work must replicate more recent research in non-pandemic contexts and prioritize evaluation of factors that will aid in matching patients to the most efficient and effective modalities of care moving forward.