New Bulimia Website Helps Explain Complex Eating Disorder

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Bulimia nervosa, a complex, often serious and life-threatening eating disorder, continues to affect people of all ages. ECRI Institute, an independent health research organization, announces its launch of a completely updated and redesigned bulimia nervosa website, in conjunction with National Eating Disorder Awareness Week.

The Bulimia Guide website offers updated guidance and tools about bulimia nervosa for concerned family, friends, educators, and coaches who wish to support individuals in recovery as well as information for individuals seeking recovery. The evidence-based site contains no advertising and was independently produced and funded through a grant from The Hilda and Preston Davis Foundation.

The site sheds new light on the latest treatment options based on a systematic review conducted by senior research analysts in ECRI Institute's Evidence-based Practice Center.

"The decision to undertake a new systematic review and update the entire website was based on the need to provide current information on treatments and on how to support someone, while also providing a mobile friendly website that enables sharing through social platforms," says Diane C. Robertson, director of health technology assessment at ECRI Institute.  

Toolboxes with easy-to-use checklists and tips help friends, families, and educators learn how to start a discussion with individuals who may have bulimia nervosa and how to best support them.

Web visitors will find current information on health insurance coverage policies, a list of questions to ask therapists or eating disorder treatment centers, and links to other credible resources vetted by ECRI Institute. The site provides important basic information on signs and symptoms of bulimia nervosa, including physical, emotional, behavioral, and psychological impacts.

"Bulimia nervosa continues to be a really big struggle for all those affected. People often do not know where to begin and lack accurate information about the disorder. Our goal with the new website is to provide accurate, evidence-based information, informed by insights gleaned from discussions with affected families, clinicians treating the disorder, patients in recovery, and educators, teachers, and coaches who interact with students who have the disorder," adds Robertson.

ECRI Institute produced a video series for the site featuring people from many walks of life who discuss common myths associated with bulimia nervosa.

For more information about the Bulimia Guide website (www.bulimiaguide.org) or ECRI Institute's Health Technology Assessment Information Services, contact us at (610) 825-6000; [email protected]; or by mail at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462.

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About ECRI Institute
ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes enable improved patient care. As pioneers in this science for 50 years, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research. Strict conflict-of-interest guidelines ensure objectivity. ECRI Institute is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Find ECRI Institute on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ECRIInstitute) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ECRI_Institute).

About The Hilda and Preston Davis Foundation
The late Hilda and Preston Davis established the Hilda and Preston Davis Foundation in 1998. Preston had a distinguished career as first general counsel, officer, and director of United Parcel Service. Together they created this Foundation to support programs that strengthen the spiritual, moral, intellectual, and physical development of children and young adults. The Foundation channels most of its financial resources toward charitable organizations whose attention is concentrated on preventing and treating eating disorders, and education for the underprivileged. Through this project, the Foundation ensured the fulfillment of one of Hilda Preston's dreams—to provide a comprehensive, objective resource guide for families and friends of loved ones with bulimia nervosa so they can understand how to best support someone with the disorder.

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SOURCE ECRI Institute