Adult Eating Disorder Assessment Accuracy Study v1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Semi-Structured Interview Assessment Accuracy in Adults Referred to Specialist Eating Disorder Services
IRAS ID
317534
Contact name
Samuel/S.J. Tromans
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Leicester
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 6 months, 1 days
Research summary
Eating disorders are recognised as a research priority among healthcare professionals, adults with lived experience, and their carers alike. There is a need for measurement methods that can reliably and systematically identify symptoms of common forms of eating disorder, including those fulfilling agreed diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. Effective diagnostic interview tools can facilitate early detection of eating disorders.
To develop rules for determining whether diagnostic criteria for eating disorders are met, a study involving adults referred to specialist eating disorder services is required. In this study, assessments by eating disorder clinicians will be compared with researcher assessments using a semi-structured interview assessment, the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry version 3 section 9 (SCANv3s9). The study population will consist of 100 adult patients referred to specialist eating disorder services, including patients whose referrals are accepted by these services, as well as those who are not. Clinical assessments and structured interview assessment findings will also be compared with widely-used screening tools for eating disorders, the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire short-form and the SCOFF (Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food) questionnaire.
The aims of this study are to evaluate the accuracy of SCANv3s9 in assessing adults referred to specialist eating disorder services, in addition to evaluating longer established, briefer measures, namely the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Short-Form and the SCOFF (Sick, Control, One, Fat, Food) questionnaire, and to compare these with specialist clinician assessments of the probability of eating disorder. This will help develop appropriate and accurate benchmarks for estimating the prevalence of eating disorder symptoms and clinical diagnoses, in adults referred to specialist eating disorder services, as well as the wider population (through combining the findings from this study with those of the community 2023 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey).REC name
Wales REC 7
REC reference
23/WA/0098
Date of REC Opinion
18 Apr 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion