Is it important to talk about technologies with eating disorder clients? The health-care professional perspective

Nowadays, the use of digital technology is an important issue which should be addressed during the treatment of people who have eating disorders. The involvement or absence of this issue reflects the understanding, experience, and attitude of health care professionals towards their clients’ use of technology. The aim of the present study was to investigate the perceptions of health care professionals and their assessment of their clients’ usage of digital technology while developing strategies for treatment. Semi-structured interviews with 30 professionals were performed from October 2015 to June 2016 and a thematic analysis was used to analyse the data. The health care professionals’ views could be summarized in three thematic groups: 1) Technology use is not relevant for the cooperation; 2) Technology use is relevant for the cooperation and addressed generally; and 3) Technology use is relevant for the cooperation and addressed specifically. The results are discussed in relation to the theoretical model presented by Rodgers about the impact of technology on disordered eating behaviours and the implications for practice.