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Pathways to specialist care for eating disorders: An Italian multicentre study
Author(s) -
Volpe Umberto,
Monteleone Alessio M.,
Ricca Valdo,
Corsi Elisa,
Favaro Angela,
Santonastaso Paolo,
De Giorgi Serafino,
Renna Caterina,
Abbate Daga Giovanni,
Amianto Federico,
Balestrieri Matteo,
Luxardi Gian Luigi,
Clerici Massimo,
Alamia Alberto,
SeguraGarcia Cristina,
Rania Marianna,
Monteleone Palmiero,
Maj Mario
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
european eating disorders review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.511
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1099-0968
pISSN - 1072-4133
DOI - 10.1002/erv.2669
Subject(s) - eating disorders , medicine , family medicine , health care , mental health , psychiatry , economics , economic growth
Two hundred forty six patients with eating disorders (EDs) recruited from eight Italian specialized treatment centres were administered with the World Health Organization “Encounter Form,” a standardized schedule that makes it possible to characterize the clinical pathways that patients follow to reach specialized care. The median time from symptoms onset to specialized care was 114 weeks. Primary “points of access to care” were general practitioners (25%), psychiatrists (18%), and clinical nutritionists (17%), followed by various other carers. All patients received specific psychotherapy, whereas only 11% of them were given psychotropic drugs. EDs are characterized by complex care pathways, with low rates of direct access to specialized care. Although the role of general practitioners remains crucial, they tend to follow different clinical routes to refer ED patients. Educational programmes on EDs should be addressed to general practitioners and clinical nutritionists, in order to ease the transition of ED patients to a mental health care setting.