A shift to placing parents in charge: Does it improve weight gain in youth with anorexia?

Evidence-based brief interventions targeting acute mental health presentations for children and adolescents: systematic review

BACKGROUND

Brief intervention services provide rapid, mobile and flexible short-term delivery of interventions to resolve mental health crises. These interventions may provide an alternative pathway to the emergency department or in-patient psychiatric services for children and young people (CYP), presenting with an acute mental health condition.

AIMS

To synthesise evidence on the effectiveness of brief interventions in improving mental health outcomes for CYP (0-17 years) presenting with an acute mental health condition.

METHOD

A systematic literature search was conducted, and the studies' methodological quality was assessed. Five databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles between January 2000 and September 2022.

RESULTS

We synthesised 30 articles on the effectiveness of brief interventions in the form of (a) crisis intervention, (b) integrated services, (c) group therapies, (d) individualised therapy, (e) parent-child dyadic therapy, (f) general services, (g) pharmacotherapy, (h) assessment services, (i) safety and risk planning and (j) in-hospital treatment, to improve outcomes for CYP with an acute mental health condition. Among included studies, one study was rated as providing a high level of evidence based on the National Health and Medical Research Council levels of evidence hierarchy scale, which was a crisis intervention showing a reduction in length of stay and return emergency department visits. Other studies, of moderate-quality evidence, described multimodal brief interventions that suggested beneficial effects.

CONCLUSIONS

This review provides evidence to substantiate the benefits of brief interventions, in different settings, to reduce the burden of in-patient hospital and readmission rates to the emergency department.

Effectiveness of psychoeducation for children, adolescents and caregivers in the treatment of eating disorders: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Eating disorders in childhood and adolescence negatively affect many areas of development and functioning of children, adolescents, and their families. Psychoeducation has an important role in management and treatment of eating disorders.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was performed using multiple databases (PsycInfo, PubMed, and Web of Science). The inclusion criteria comprised empirical studies of psychoeducation for patients with eating disorders or their caregivers. The study reporting quality was assessed with the revised Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool and the Standard Quality Assessment Criteria for Evaluating Primary Research Papers from a Variety of Fields for non-randomized studies.

RESULTS

Ten studies met the inclusion criteria, in three of which the interventions were patient-centred and in seven of which the interventions were caregiver-centred. The studies differed in terms of methodology, outcome measures, and quality. The results suggest that psychoeducation is an effective intervention for children, adolescents and caregivers in the treatment of eating disorders. It may lead to weight gain, a decrease in eating disorder symptoms, and a reduction in caregiver burden.

CONCLUSIONS

There is a need for more randomized controlled trials to determine the effectiveness of psychoeducation for children, adolescents and caregivers in treatment of eating disorders.

Models of integrated care for young people experiencing medical emergencies related to mental illness: a realist systematic review

Mental illness heightens risk of medical emergencies, emergency hospitalisation, and readmissions. Innovations for integrated medical-psychiatric care within paediatric emergency settings may help adolescents with acute mental disorders to get well quicker and stay well enough to remain out of hospital. We assessed models of integrated acute care for adolescents experiencing medical emergencies related to mental illness (MHR). We conducted a systematic review by searching MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Embase, and Web of Science for quantitative studies within paediatric emergency medicine, internationally. We included populations aged 8-25 years. Our outcomes were length of hospital stay (LOS), emergency hospital admissions, and rehospitalisation. Limits were imposed on dates: 1990 to June 2021. We present a narrative synthesis. This study is registered on PROSPERO: 254,359. 1667 studies were screened, 22 met eligibility, comprising 39,346 patients. Emergency triage innovations reduced admissions between 4 and 16%, including multidisciplinary staffing and training for psychiatric assessment (F(3,42) = 4.6, P < 0.05, N = 682), and telepsychiatry consultations (aOR = 0.41, 95% CI 0.28-0.58; P < 0.001, N = 597). Psychological therapies delivered in emergency departments reduced admissions 8-40%, including psychoeducation (aOR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.17-0.71, P < 0.01, N = 212), risk-reduction counselling for suicide prevention (OR = 2.78, 95% CI 0.55-14.10, N = 348), and telephone follow-up (OR = 0.45, 95% CI 0.33-0.60, P < 0.001, N = 980). Innovations on acute wards reduced readmissions, including guided meal supervision for eating disorders (P = 0.27), therapeutic skills for anxiety disorders, and a dedicated psychiatric crisis unit (22.2 vs 8.5% (P = 0.008). Integrated pathway innovations reduced readmissions between 8 and 37% including family-based therapy (FBT) for eating disorders (X2(1,326) = 8.40, P = 0.004, N = 326), and risk-targeted telephone follow-up or outpatients for all mental disorders (29.5 vs. 5%, P = 0.03, N = 1316). Studies occurred in the USA, Canada, or Australia. Integrated care pathways to psychiatric consultations, psychological therapies, and multidisciplinary follow-up within emergency paediatric services prevented lengthy and repeat hospitalisation for MHR emergencies. Only six of 22 studies adjusted for illness severity and clinical history between before- and after-intervention cohorts and only one reported socio-demographic intervention effects.

Evaluating the implementation and impact of a new model of care for integrating children and young people's acute mental healthcare in a paediatric setting: a protocol for a realist, mixed-methods approach

INTRODUCTION

The mental health of children and young people in the UK has been declining and has continued to worsen throughout the pandemic, leading to an increase in mental health-related emergencies. In response, the Best for You programme was developed as a new service designed to integrate mental healthcare for children and young people between acute hospital and community services. The programme is comprised of four new services: a rapid assessment young people's centre with dual-trained staff, a co-located day service offering family-based care,a digital hub, designed to integrate with the fourth element of the model, namely community support and mental health services. This evaluation protocol aims to assess the development, implementation and outcomes of the Best for You programme and develops a scalable model that could be implemented in other parts of the National Health Service (NHS).

METHODS AND ANALYSIS

This mixed-methods realist evaluation aims to delineate the components of the system to assess their interdependent relationships within a wider context. Data collection will include interviews, participant observations, focus groups and the collection of local quantitative healthcare data. The research will be conducted across four phases. Phase 1-captures the development of the underlying programme theory. Phase 2-a process evaluation testing the programme theory. Phase 3- an outcome and economic evaluation. Phase 4-consolidation of learning from phases 1-3 to identify barriers, facilitators and wider contextual factors that have shaped implementation drawing on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

Ethical approval for the evaluation was received from the NHS local ethics committee. Embedded within the evaluation is a formative review to feedback and share learning with stakeholders to scale-up the programme. Findings from this study will be disseminated in peer-reviewed journals as well as presentations to be useful to service user organisations and networks.

Paediatric eating disorders: Exploring virtual family therapy during a global pandemic

AIM

Explore treatment response and effectiveness of virtual treatment for a paediatric eating disorder sample.

METHODS

Twenty patients and their families who received either virtual or in-person family therapy were included in the study. Family therapy was informed by family-based treatment (FBT) principles. Patients' weight restoration at 1, 3, and 6 months after starting treatment was examined. Independent sample t tests assessed group differences and a Fisher exact test was used to evaluate the association between treatment group and weight restoration.

RESULTS

Weight restoration did not significantly differ between treatment groups (virtual vs. in-person) at any time point and there was no association between group and remission weight at 6 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Study results are considered exploratory. Future research addressing study limitations is needed. Results suggest that paediatric eating disorder patients may benefit from family therapy delivered via a virtual platform.

A systematic review of enteral feeding by nasogastric tube in young people with eating disorders

BACKGROUND

Adolescents with severe restrictive eating disorders often require enteral feeding to provide lifesaving treatment. Nasogastric feeding (NG) is a method of enteral nutrition often used in inpatient settings to treat medical instability, to supplement poor oral intake or to increase nutritional intake. This systematic review sets out to describe current practice of NG in young people with eating disorders.

METHODS

A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines was conducted by searching AMED, EMBASE and MEDLINE databases from 2000 to 2020. Inclusion terms were: enteral feeding by nasogastric tube, under 18 years, eating disorders, and primary research. Exclusion terms: psychiatric disorders other than eating disorders; non-primary research; no outcomes specific to NG feeding and participants over 18 years. Titles and abstracts were screened by all authors before reviewing full length articles. Quality assessment, including risk of bias, was conducted by all authors.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine studies met the full criteria. 86% of studies were deemed high or medium risk of bias due to the type of study: 34.4% retrospective cohort and 10.3% RCT; 17.2% were qualitative. Studies identified 1) a wide range of refeeding regimes depending on country, settings, and the reason for initiation; 2) standard practice is to introduce Nasogastric feeds (NG) if medically unstable or oral intake alone is inadequate; 3) NG may enable greater initial weight gain due to increased caloric intake; 4) there are 3 main types of feeding regime: continuous, nocturnal and bolus; 5) complications included nasal irritation, epistaxis, electrolyte disturbance, distress and tube removal; 6) where NG is routinely implemented to increase total calorie intake, length of stay in hospital may be reduced; however where NG is implemented in correlation to severity of symptoms, it may be increased; 7) both medical and psychiatric wards most commonly report using NG in addition to oral intake.

CONCLUSIONS

NG feeding is a safe and efficacious method of increasing total calorie intake by either supplementing oral intake or continuously. There are currently no direct comparisons between continuous, nocturnal or bolus regimes, which may be used to direct future treatment for YP with ED.

The value of including families in the treatment of anorexia nervosa

The aim of this paper is to consider family and wider carer involvement in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, and how this can be used to add value to services. We discuss widely adopted interventions involving the family that have been manualised and studied in trials that have outcome measures that are of relevance to illness costs. The therapeutic targets of these interventions range from a focus on feeding to the wellbeing of the whole family. The theoretical models that underpin interventions involving the family/wider carers include both intra and interpersonal processes, with the exception of family-based therapy, which in its original form holds an agnostic stance towards aetiology. Although formal evaluation of the cost effectiveness of these interventions is minimal, there is evidence that involving the family can reduce bed use and improve the wellbeing of both patients and family members. Moreover, for the most part, these interventions are acceptable to patients and carers. Finally, we consider how these approaches can be disseminated and scaled up more widely into services.

Canadian practice guidelines for the treatment of children and adolescents with eating disorders

OBJECTIVES

Eating disorders are common and serious conditions affecting up to 4% of the population. The mortality rate is high. Despite the seriousness and prevalence of eating disorders in children and adolescents, no Canadian practice guidelines exist to facilitate treatment decisions. This leaves clinicians without any guidance as to which treatment they should use. Our objective was to produce such a guideline.

METHODS

Using systematic review, the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system, and the assembly of a panel of diverse stakeholders from across the country, we developed high quality treatment guidelines that are focused on interventions for children and adolescents with eating disorders.

RESULTS

Strong recommendations were supported specifically in favour of Family-Based Treatment, and more generally in terms of least intensive treatment environment. Weak recommendations in favour of Multi-Family Therapy, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, Adolescent Focused Psychotherapy, adjunctive Yoga and atypical antipsychotics were confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS

Several gaps for future work were identified including enhanced research efforts on new primary and adjunctive treatments in order to address severe eating disorders and complex co-morbidities.

Therapist adherence to family-based treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A multi-site exploratory study

OBJECTIVE

This exploratory study is the first to examine family-based treatment (FBT) adherence and association to treatment outcome in the context of a large-scale, multi-centre study for the treatment of adolescents with anorexia nervosa.

METHOD

One hundred and ninety recorded FBT sessions from 68 adolescents with anorexia nervosa and their families were recruited across multiple sites (N = 6). Each site provided 1-4 tapes per family over four treatment time points, and each was independently rated for therapist adherence.

RESULTS

There were differences in adherence scores within and between sites. ANOVA produced a main effect for site, F(5, 46) = 8.6, p < .001, and phase, F(3, 42) = 12.7, p < .001, with adherence decreasing in later phases. Adherence was not associated to end of treatment percent ideal body weight after controlling for baseline percent ideal body weight (r = .088, p = .48).

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that FBT can be delivered with adherence in phase one of treatment. Adherence was not associated with treatment outcome as determined using percent ideal body weight.