Outcomes of a Virtual Day Treatment Program for Adults With Eating Disorders-Comparison With In-Person Day Treatment

Objective: Previous studies have indicated that virtual treatments for eating disorders (EDs) are roughly as effective as are in-person treatments; the present nonrandomized study aimed to expand on the current body of evidence by comparing outcomes from a virtual day treatment program with those of an in-person program in an adult ED sample.

Method: Participants were 109 patients who completed at least 60% of day treatment sessions (n = 55 in-person and n = 54 virtual). Outcome measures included ED and comorbid symptoms, and motivation.

Results: Linear mixed models showed that global EDE-Q scores decreased during treatment (AIC = 376.396, F = 10.94, p = 0.002), irrespective of treatment modality (p = 0.186). BMI significantly increased over time (AIC = 389.029, F = 27.97, p < 0.001), with no effect of treatment modality (p = 0.779).

Discussion: Our findings suggest that the virtual delivery of day treatments produces comparable outcomes to those obtained using in-person formats, and that virtual formats may represent a pragmatic treatment option, especially in situations in which access to in-person care is limited.