Adolescent, Parent, and Healthcare Professional Experiences of a Virtual Day Treatment Program for Eating Disorders During the Transition to Post-Pandemic Times
Diana Stratulat, Mathilde Botella, Kaylee Novack, Louis Picard, Danielle Taddeo, Pierre-Olivier Nadeau, Linda Booij, Nicholas ChadiObjective
The development, implementation, and study of virtual day treatment programs for adolescents with eating disorders (EDs) was accelerated by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we transition into a post-pandemic period, it is necessary to analyze how adolescents, parents, and healthcare professionals experience such programs in a context where pandemic-related challenges are less relevant.
Method
Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 25 individuals including eight adolescents with EDs, nine parents, and eight healthcare professionals who participated in the Intensive Ambulatory Care Program (IACP). The IACP is a 6 to 8-week virtual day treatment program for EDs, offered alongside usual in-person care. Phenomenology was adopted as the guiding qualitative theory, and interviews were analyzed using a six-step thematic analysis.
Results
Three themes emerged across all groups: (1) the positive impact on adolescents’ well-being; (2) improved access to care through the virtual format; and (3) challenges encountered due to the program’s virtual and intensive format. An additional theme, the positive impact on parents’ well-being, was identified among parents and healthcare professionals only. Participants also shared their suggestions for improvement for future virtual day treatment programs.
Conclusion
Overall, participants reported a positive experience during the virtual day treatment program, noting improvements in well-being and valuing its accessibility. Taken together with the reported challenges and suggestions for improvement, our findings can guide clinicians and researchers implementing virtual day treatment programs for adolescents with EDs to ensure they fit the needs of this population.