Baseline symptomatology and treatment outcomes of young adults in a virtual versus in-person partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient program for eating disorders.

OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a shift from traditional, in-person treatment to virtual treatment for eating disorders (EDs), with little knowledge about the relative efficacy of virtual formats. METHOD: In the current study, we examined baseline symptomatology and treatment outcomes of young adults in our virtual partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient program (PHP/IOP) for EDs, implemented shortly after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. We investigated outcomes on body mass index, ED symptoms, anxiety, ED-related clinical impairment, and emotion regulation. RESULTS: We found significant differences in ED symptomatology, ED-related clinical impairment, and difficulties with emotion regulation at admission between participants in the virtual and in-person versions of our PHP/IOP. Despite these differences, the results demonstrated that the degree of change from admission to discharge on these measures was comparable for both conditions. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest that PHPs and IOPs are relatively effective in a virtual format. Providing effective virtual options across various levels of care will improve access to specialized treatment for EDs.

The Importance of Cognitive Appraisal and Social Support in Pregnancy During COVID-19 from an Interdisciplinary View

Aim: To describe how a US-based psychiatric Mother-Baby Unit adopted a virtual platform during the pandemic. Objective(s): When the Covid-19 pandemic descended, mental health clinicians worldwide were faced with maintaining access and care delivery. Pregnant and newly postpartum women experienced the pandemic and lockdown through the lens of impending parenthood and new parenthood-amplifying distress, isolation, and lack of social and family support. The lockdown prevented those with most acute illness from accessing daily treatment in our structured, supportive intensive treatment setting. We acknowledged the urgency of developing a method to continue to treat our patients in a group environment that offered psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, dyadic and family intervention, and social support. Method(s): The hospital purchased "Zoom for Health" platform to ensure compliance with regulatory guidelines. Cameras for individual computers were purchased with philanthropy funds, obtaining them quickly, compared to waiting for hospital funding. The clinical team designed a schedule of groups and individual sessions, each with their own zoom link. Each morning, a team member, sent the daily schedule through the patient portal of the EMR. Conclusion(s): Before the pandemic, the census was 12 pts per day. The full-day program paused for 7-10 days although individual sessions and medication management were conducted by phone as the virtual platform was constructed. Once established, census resumed normal levels. Challenges to running the Day Hospital virtually included: technology glitches, family demands and distractions, and privacy concerns. Overall, the program was a success wherein women requiring intensive treatment were able to receive treatment and social support.

Pilot outcomes from a multidisciplinary telehealth versus in-person intensive outpatient program for eating disorders during versus before the Covid-19 pandemic.

INTRODUCTION: Eating disorders (EDs) are serious mental illnesses with high rates of mortality, morbidity, and personal and societal costs. Onset of the Covid-19 pandemic led to increased ED diagnoses in the general public, as well as worsening of ED symptoms in those with an existing ED diagnosis. Heightened prevalence and severity of EDs during the pandemic is complicated by the fact that traditional modes of ED care (specialty intensive treatment provided by a multidisciplinary team) have been difficult to access during the pandemic. METHODS: The current between-groups study (N = 93 ED) tested a multidisciplinary intensive outpatient program (IOP) delivered via in-person (pre-pandemic; n = 60) and virtually via telehealth (during the pandemic; n = 33). RESULTS: We found no differences in outcomes via delivery mode, such that regardless of in-person versus telehealth programming, ED symptoms, depression, and perfectionism significantly decreased and body mass index significantly increased. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that a multi-disciplinary telehealth ED IOP program is feasible and has comparable outcomes to in-person IOP treatment. These findings have implications for treatment beyond the pandemic, suggesting that adoption of telehealth IOPs is warranted. Such delivery modes of intensive treatments for EDs could be expanded to reach underserved populations, especially in rural areas where treatment is often difficult to access.

Continuation of an eating disorders day programme during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The current paper describes an adaptation of a daypatient programme for adults with anorexia nervosa in the UK in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and consequent government guidelines. The paper details how the programme, which is normally delivered face-to-face, became a 'virtual' clinic, providing support to a group of patients via the Internet and conducting its core activities almost exclusively via videoconferencing. Anxiety around the pandemic influenced patients' feelings about recovery, and there were concerns about the programme moving online, which necessitated careful management. It has been possible to continue an intensive level of care given wider organisational backing and the support of the patients involved. Some of the patients' reflections on the experience are included in the article. As well as the adaptations, the article also discusses some of the challenges and opportunities encountered, in the hope of guiding similar services.

A Virtual, Randomized, Control Trial of a Digital Therapeutic for Speech, Language, and Cognitive Intervention in Post-stroke Persons With Aphasia.

Background: Post-stroke aphasia is a chronic condition that impacts people's daily functioning and communication for many years after a stroke. Even though these individuals require sustained rehabilitation, they face extra burdens to access care due to shortages in qualified clinicians, insurance limitations and geographic access. There is a need to research alternative means to access intervention remotely, such as in the case of this study using a digital therapeutic. Objective: To assess the feasibility and clinical efficacy of a virtual speech, language, and cognitive digital therapeutic for individuals with post-stroke aphasia relative to standard of care. Methods: Thirty two participants completed the study (experimental: average age 59.8 years, 7 female, 10 male, average education: 15.8 years, time post-stroke: 53 months, 15 right handed, 2 left handed; control: average age 64.2 years, 7 female, 8 male, average education: 15.3 years, time post-stroke: 36.1 months, 14 right handed, 1 left handed). Patients in the experimental group received 10 weeks of treatment using a digital therapeutic, Constant Therapy-Research (CT-R), for speech, language, and cognitive therapy, which provides evidence-based, targeted therapy with immediate feedback for users that adjusts therapy difficulty based on their performance. Patients in the control group completed standard of care (SOC) speech-language pathology workbook pages. Results: This study provides Class II evidence that with the starting baseline WAB-AQ score, adjusted by -0.69 for every year of age, and by 0.122 for every month since stroke, participants in the CT-R group had WAB-AQ scores 6.43 higher than the workbook group at the end of treatment. Additionally, secondary outcome measures included the WAB-Language Quotient, WAB-Cognitive Quotient, Brief Test of Adult Cognition by Telephone (BTACT), and Stroke and Aphasia Quality of Life Scale 39 (SAQOL-39), with significant changes in BTACT verbal fluency subtest and the SAQOL-39 communication and energy scores for both groups. Conclusions: Overall, this study demonstrates the feasibility of a fully virtual trial for patients with post-stroke aphasia, especially given the ongoing COVID19 pandemic, as well as a safe, tolerable, and efficacious digital therapeutic for language/cognitive rehabilitation. Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT04488029.