The InsideOut eClinic: the development and public release of a self-led, self-signup eTherapy platform for eating disorders

Abstract

Digitally delivered guided self-help programs for eating disorders can reduce treatment barriers
like cost, stigma, geography, and availability of clinicians. Digital eating disorder treatments also
provide a unique opportunity for innovative enhancements such as self-monitoring tools, clinician dashboards, clinician pairing/monitoring and supported self-help options.

Binge Eating eTherapy (BEeT) was one of the first online CBT programs for eating disorders in
Australia. Clinical trials of ‘BEeT’ and a re-formatted four-week version of ‘Brief BEeT’ showed
promising baseline to post-treatment decreases in objective binge eating frequency. After
developing and evaluating these programs, InsideOut Institute has built an eating disorder digital therapy treatment platform (‘the InsideOut eClinic’), which allows us to deliver eTherapies and self-monitoring.

The InsideOut eClinic enables the authoring and delivery of new eTherapies without further digital development. The self-monitoring capabilities allow for food, thought, and behaviour monitoring, goal setting, and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy tools such as exposure and thought challenges, also available as a mobile application. The platform allows for further innovative therapeutic options including the connection of users to clinicians, clinical monitoring or support and patient led or guided experiences.

This presentation will explore the conversion of digital tools from research studies into
operationalised, publicly available treatments, the building of a sustainable and considered
platform that survives outside a particular grant or study, and the use of codesign and research
learnings to inform continuous improvement valuing lived and living experience voices.