Evaluating the Impact of a Safe Exercise Training on Clinician Knowledge and Self-Efficacy in Managing Dysfunctional Exercise in an Eating Disorder Treatment Setting.

Introduction: Dysfunctional exercise (DEX) is common among individuals with an eating disorder (ED) and poses significant challenges to treatment and recovery. While safe and nutritionally supported physical activity can enhance treatment outcomes without hindering weight restoration, clinicians often hesitate to address DEX with their patients. This mixed-method study aimed to evaluate the impact of a Safe Exercise at Every Stage (SEES) informed training on clinician knowledge and self-efficacy in managing DEX during ED treatment.

Methods: Clinicians from a national ED centre completed measures of knowledge and self-efficacy about managing DEX before (n = 96) and after (n = 44) a synchronous virtual training. A subset of participants (n = 7) participated in semi-structured interviews to gather their perceptions of exercise in the context of EDs and feedback on the training.

Results: Paired sample t-tests revealed a significant increase in both self-efficacy and knowledge following the SEES training. Thematic analysis identified three key themes: (1) the Current State, (2) the Training Impact and (3) bridging the Gap Through Staff and Community Support. Results are contextualized within the broader ED field, highlighting how training and policy changes can enhance clinician confidence in managing DEX.

Conclusion: DEX continues to be preceived as a core ED symptom. To improve its managment clinician training and shifts in overarching field ideologies are needed. Providing programme-wide training is fundamental to equipping clinicians with the skills needed to address DEX and ultimately improve patient outcomes.