NEDC Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals

Organisation / Service

NEDC

Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals is comprehensive foundational eating disorder training developed specifically for fertility care professionals including obstetricians, gynecologists, mental health professionals, dietitians, nurses, naturopaths and herbalists.

The training will equip fertility care professionals with the knowledge and skills to identify and respond when a person is experiencing an eating disorder, understand shared care in the stepped system of care, and prevent and minimise harm for eating disorders in the context of fertility care.  It is a self-paced and interactive online training and includes practical real-life scenarios and activities, videos from leaders in the field and people with a lived experience of an eating disorder, up-to-date resources and a formal assessment. 

Eating Disorder Core Skills: eLearning for Fertility Care Professionals includes five modules which align with the NEDC Workforce Core Competencies and National Framework for Eating Disorders Training, the ANZAED clinical practice and training standards, and the stepped system of care for eating disorders.

The Modules

The five modules include:

• Module 1: Early Identification (Part 1) covers an introduction to eating disorder diagnoses, their prevalence and impact.
• Module 2: Early Identification (Part 2) focuses on the knowledge and skills needed by a health professional to effectively recognise when a person may be experiencing an eating disorder, including the risk factors and warning signs.
• Module 3: Initial Response covers the knowledge and skills needed by a health professional to effectively engage and respond when a person may be experiencing an eating disorder.
• Module 4: Shared Care focuses on the knowledge needed by a fertility care health professional to provide shared care and support a person towards recovery.
• Module 5: Prevention and Harm Reduction covers eating disorder prevention and harm minimisation and will explore the implications and considerations applicable to fertility care providers.

National Strategy Standards and Actions

Prevention

Standard 3: There is increased community capacity and expertise to prevent eating disorders through a ‘do no harm’ approach which acts to reduce risk and bolster protective factors.

Action 3.1: Eating disorder service development and lived experience organisations to partner with other sectors, industries, professional bodies and consumer groups to develop and disseminate training and supporting resources in eating disorder-safe principles for community, health and education professionals working with a diverse range of people and communities, and support their implementation.

Identification

Standard 2: Professionals at key entry or referral points (e.g., GPs, emergency department staff, school counsellors, mental health professionals, dietitians, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Workers and Practitioners, Alcohol and Other Drug workers, staff in sporting/performance organisations) can recognise eating disorder warning signs and symptoms and provide or support access to an initial response.

Action 2.1: Health and mental health services to ensure staff are trained to identify eating disorders and have access to up-to-date local/regional and online treatment and support options. 

2.2: Eating disorder service development and lived experience organisations to disseminate accessible online/face-to-face training, and evidence-based screening tools to support
health and mental health professionals in identification.

3.5: Health services to screen for eating disorders among people with commonly co-occurring conditions, including in people presenting for bariatric surgery.

Initial Response

Standard

Action 1.1: Training providers to ensure that mental health professionals are trained to conduct an initial eating disorder assessment including psychiatric risk, make a preliminary diagnosis, provide psychoeducation, refer the person to the appropriate level of treatment, and continue to engage the person and family/supports throughout any waiting time for treatment.

Action 2.2: Health services to ensure staff are trained to provide an initial response according to their scope of practice and clinical role.

Action 4.1: Eating disorder service development organisations to continue to develop and disseminate online/face-to-face training, validated assessment tools, and psychoeducation resources to support health and mental health professionals in assessment, preliminary diagnosis, and in engaging the person and family/supports.