Cooperating sites and treatment
psychiatric
The study sites included nine treatment sites in western Germany and northern Switzerland, which provided CBT-based interventions in accordance with the national clinical practice treatment guideline for the treatment of ED [Full-time treatment consisted of 24/7-care in a medical or psychiatric hospital or a privately governed non-hospital treatment facility, provided by a multidisciplinary team, including individual and group therapy, nutritional counselling, meal support, and occupational/recreation therapy. Ambulatory treatment typically consisted of one or two sessions of individual psychotherapy per week provided by a psychotherapist. It should be noted that the number of treatment sessions for ambulatory patients was restricted by procedural standards of the German health care system. At the time of the study, health insurance companies in Germany only reimbursed a maximum of five ambulatory treatment sessions (probatory/diagnostic sessions). To continue treatment, health insurance policies required a report, which was evaluated in a peer review process before approval of the reimbursement of treatment costs was granted. This procedure typically resulted in a treatment break of 4–6 weeks, with no contact between the patient and the therapist. Patients’ insurance companies covered the treatment costs and admission to treatment was voluntarily.Treatments in all sites were conducted as usual. All sites confirmed that their treatment standards adhere to current clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of ED [