Effects of a Digital Therapeutic Adjunct to Eating Disorder Treatment on Health Care Service Utilization and Clinical Outcomes: Retrospective Observational Study Using Electronic Health Records

The need for scalable solutions facilitating access to eating disorder (ED) treatment services that are efficient, effective, and inclusive is a major public health priority. Remote access to synchronous and asynchronous support delivered via health apps has shown promise, but results are so far mix...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:JMIR mental health 2024-11, Vol.11, p.e59145
Main Authors: Palacios, Jorge E, Erickson-Ridout, Kathryn K, Paik Kim, Jane, Buttlaire, Stuart, Ridout, Samuel, Argue, Stuart, Tregarthen, Jenna
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Ambulatory Care - statistics & numerical data
Blood pressure
California
Clinical outcomes
Clinical trials
Cost analysis
Eating disorders
Electronic health records
Electronic Health Records - statistics & numerical data
Emergency medical care
Emergency Service, Hospital - statistics & numerical data
Feeding and Eating Disorders - therapy
Female
Health care policy
Health insurance
Health maintenance organizations
Health services utilization
HMOs
Humans
Male
Medical records
Middle Aged
Mobile Applications
Observational studies
Original Paper
Outpatient care facilities
Patient Acceptance of Health Care - statistics & numerical data
Patients
Primary care
Quality improvement
Research ethics
Retrospective Studies
Software
Systematic review
Telemedicine
Telemedicine - statistics & numerical data
Young Adult
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Summary:The need for scalable solutions facilitating access to eating disorder (ED) treatment services that are efficient, effective, and inclusive is a major public health priority. Remote access to synchronous and asynchronous support delivered via health apps has shown promise, but results are so far mixed, and there are limited data on whether apps can enhance health care utilization. This study aims to examine the effects of app-augmented treatment on clinical outcomes and health care utilization for patients receiving treatment for an ED in outpatient and intensive outpatient levels of care. Recovery Record was implemented in outpatient and intensive outpatient services in a California-based health maintenance organization. We examined outcomes for eligible patients with ED by comparing clinical and service utilization medical record data over a 6-month period after implementation with analogous data for the control group in the year prior. We used a logistic regression model and inverse-weighted estimates of the probability of treatment to adjust for treatment selection bias. App-augmented treatment was associated with a significant decrease in emergency department visits (P
ISSN:2368-7959
2368-7959
DOI:10.2196/59145