A qualitative study of lived experience perspectives and experiences of eating disorder treatment with ANZAED Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinicians

Abstract Background The ANZAED (Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders) Eating Disorder Credential is the first national, cross-disciplinary program to recognise minimum standards qualifications, knowledge, training, and ongoing professional development for health professionals to provide safe and effective treatment. While timely access to safe and effective treatment is known to improve quality of life and increase the likelihood of optimal treatment outcomes, there is currently no empirical evidence on the Credential’s impact for people with an eating disorder (ED). To address this gap, this study explored the perceptions and treatment experiences of individuals with an ED who received care from a Credentialed Eating Disorder Clinician. Methods Participants were 16 people with lived experience of an ED, who had received treatment from a credentialed clinician. Participants engaged in a semi-structured interview and an online self-report survey, both exploring their ED treatment experiences. Analysis included descriptive statistics from survey data and an inductive reflexive thematic analysis of interview transcripts. Results The first theme generated by the thematic analysis was treatment experiences with credentialed vs. non-credentialed clinicians, with (1) trust and safety, (2) seeing the whole person, and (3) teamwork identified as subthemes. The second theme was attitudes towards the Credential, with (1) the perception of the Credential as a source of hope and (2) the potential for improved access to appropriate treatment as subthemes. Conclusions Participants consistently perceived treatment with credentialed clinicians positively and felt that additional training and supervision facilitated trust in credentialed clinicians. Some participants reported their treatment team consisted of credentialed clinicians working together to coordinate treatment, which was also perceived to facilitate trust. However, some participants felt uncertain about whether the Credential met their needs and instead emphasised the importance of treatment access in regional locations and an understanding of individual presentations including comorbid conditions.