Evaluating the real-world effectiveness of cognitive-behavior therapy efficacy research on eating disorders: a case study from a community-based clinical setting.
OBJECTIVE
There is a growing consensus that there is a need to test the real-world effectiveness of eating disorder therapies that show promise in efficacy research. This article provides a narrative account of an NIMH-funded study that attempted to apply efficacy findings from CBT research to an Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) at the largest community-based eating disorder program in the United States.


METHODS
We describe the study as originally envisioned as well as the various challenges that the researchers and the IOP staff encountered in implementing this study.


RESULTS
The different training, assumptions, and "ways of knowing" of the research team and the treatment staff in regard to the nature of eating disorders and their treatment created multiple challenges for both groups during the study period. We describe valuable lessons learned about how to-and how not to-implement effectiveness designs in clinical settings that are relatively unfamiliar with empirically-based research findings.


CONCLUSIONS
It is hoped that our experience in attempting to apply efficacy-based research findings on eating disorders treatment in a community-based clinical setting will prove helpful to other researchers and service providers engaging in such translational research.
Lowe
Michael R
MR
Department of Psychology, Drexel University, 245 N. 15th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA. lowe@drexel.edu
Bunnell
Douglas W
DW
Neeren
Amy M
AM
Chernyak
Yelena
Y
Greberman
Laurel
L
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D035843:Biomedical Research; D015928:Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; D015897:Comorbidity; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D006040:Goals; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult