D4-a -Primary Care and Improving Equity for People with Eating Disorders

4. Embedding mental health and home care in primary care

  • Release date: 
    • This webinar will be available for a limited time after the conference- don't miss it on Wednesday October 25th during the conference!
  • Style: Presentation (information provided to audience, with opportunity for audience to ask question)
  • Focus: Research/Policy (e.g. Presentation of research findings, analysis of policy issues and options)
  • Target Audience: Leadership (ED, clinical lead, board chair, board member, etc.)    Representatives of stakeholder/partner organizations

Learning Objectives

At the conclusion of this activity, participants will be able to: 

  • Describe key opportunities to improve care for people with eating disorders and their caregivers, as outlined in Ontario Health’s Eating Disorders quality standard. 
  • Identify improvement opportunities in their own practice to better support people with eating disorders and their caregivers. 
  • Access key tools and resources to support improved care for people with eating disorders and their caregivers.  
     

Summary/Abstract

In this session, presenters will share practical strategies and useful resources to help primary care providers implement Ontario Health’s newly released Eating Disorders quality standard and improve care for people with eating disorders and their caregivers. Special consideration will be given to improving care for equity-deserving populations.  In 2022, Ontario Health developed the Eating Disorders quality standard in response to unprecedented increases in emergency department visits and hospital admissions for eating disorders, and referrals to hospital and community eating disorder programs since the COVID-19 pandemic began.   Equity is an important consideration in caring for people with eating disorders. People from BIPOC and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, and people in larger bodies often face additional barriers to accessing treatment, in part due to provider biases about what a person with an eating disorder “looks like.” People living in rural and remote areas and those of lower socioeconomic status also face significant inequities in care.  The Eating Disorder quality standard outlines nine key improvements based on clinical practice guidelines and expert consensus. This session will focus on primary care providers’ role in six of those opportunities to improve care: comprehensive assessment, medical stabilization and monitoring, evidence-based psychotherapy, support for family and caregivers, promoting equity, and care for people not receiving active treatment. Presenters will also equip attendees with practical tools and resources they can use in their clinical practice to improve care for people with eating disorders and their caregivers.   
 

Presenters

  • Dr. Colin Wilson    MD, MSCHQ, CCFP, FCFP, Clinical Quality Lead (East Region)    Ontario Health    
  • Sarah McTavish    MSc., Lead, Clinical and Quality Standards    Ontario Health    
          

Authors

  • Dana Summers Laframboise, MHA, LSSBB, Senior Specialist, Quality Improvement, Clinical and Quality Standards, Ontario Health    
  • Lisa Ye, Manager, Clinical and Quality Standards, Ontario Health    
  • Kathryn Trottier, Psychologist and Provincial Clinical Lead, Eating Disorders, Ontario Health (Mental Health & Addictions Centre of Excellence)    
  • Jennifer Couturier, Psychiatrist, Pediatric Eating Disorders Program, McMaster Children’s Hospital