Treatment Targets and Strategies for Eating Disorders Recovery: A Delphi Consensus With Lived Experience, Carers, Researchers, and Clinicians

Objective: Long-term recovery rates following eating disorders (EDs) treatment remain low. This might be partly due to a lack of agreement between key stakeholder groups, including people with lived experience, carers, clinicians, and researchers, regarding optimal therapeutic targets and strategies. We aimed to reach a consensus across these diverse groups on the most valued treatment targets and strategies for fostering ED recovery. 

Method: We used the Delphi method with two phases: (i) Survey development and (ii) Expert rating. The survey development phase included the design of an initial set of items through scoping review and feedback from a committee of 14 experts. During the survey rating, we engaged a larger panel of 185 experts who comprised the stakeholder groups: Individuals with lived ED experience (n = 49), carers (n = 44), researchers (n = 46), and clinicians (n = 46). 

Results: Thirty-one targets and 29 strategies reached consensus (> 70% agreement over three rounds). Psychological-emotional–social targets including quality of life, sense of purpose, and emotion regulation, along with ED behaviors, reached the highest agreement (> 90%). Strategies reflecting an individualized approach to treatment (i.e., considering diversity, assessing comorbidities, and enhancing rapport) achieved the highest agreement (> 90%). Responses across groups were similar, except researchers leaning more towards consideration of weight- and eating-related targets. 

Discussion: Holistic targets and individualized therapeutic strategies have consistent support from the different stakeholder groups involved in ED treatment. The agreed set of targets/strategies may be used, in triangulation with other sources of evidence, to design and evaluate coproduced and personalized interventions.