A random week of December 2015 we distributed a survey to all patients receiving treatment at Mandometer clinics in Sweden.

The response rate was 88% (Table 1). Anorexia nervosa remained the dominant self reported diagnosis at 51%. The patients learned about Mandometer treatment through primary health care professionals (19%), parents (17%) and friends (16%). Increasing proportion of visitors to the website (over 100,000 per year), yet only 13% state they learned about Mandometer treatment via the Internet. Patient satisfaction with treatment and the attitude of staff remained high (8.3 of out 10), and 90% of patients reported they would recommend Mandometer treatment to others.

Table 1. Survey distribution and response rate per clinic
Survey
distribution		 Response
rate		 (%)
The Mandometer Clinic at the
Karolinska University Hospital in Huddinge		 45 40 89
The Mandometer Clinic
Danderyd’s Hospital		 23 17 74
The Mandometer Clinic
Alingsås		 20 20 100
Total 88 77 88
Patientenkat_2015_Figur1_
Figure 1. Self estimated diagnosis (n=77), 2015. AN=anorexia nervosa, BN=bulimia nervosa, EDNOS=eating disorder not otherwise specified

The patients surveyed had been in treatment for an average of 7.1 (0.2 -19) months. There was a discrepancy between self-diagnoses and clinician diagnoses (Figure 1). Patients diagnosed with EDNOS by clinicians, frequently perceived themselves as having anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, most likely due to having an anorexic weight or exhibiting bulimic behaviours, respectively.

PatientSurvey_2015_Figur2
Figure 2. Patients´ evaluations of physical, psychiatric and social wellbeing, before treatment compared to the date of survey

The graph (Figure 2) compares patient reports of physical, psychiatric and social wellbeing at the start of treatment to the time of being surveyed. Where 0=very poor and 10=Very good, the averages at the time of being surveyed were; physical (6.3), psychiatric (5.6) and social (6.7) wellbeing, compared to; physical (2.2), psychiatric (1.8) and social (3.3) wellbeing at the beginning of treatment.

Patientenkat_2015_Figur3_
Figure 3. Patients' experience of treatment at Mandometer clinics compared to other eating disorder treatment received
  1. How does the Mandometer treatment work?
  2. How familiar are you with the treatment?
  3. Have you been given information about treatment results?
  4. Do you feel involved in your treatment?
  5. How does our treatment compare to other treatment you have tried?
  6. How friendly do you find the staff at the Mandometer clinic?
  7. How satisfied were you with previous eating disorder treatment you received?
  8. How satisfied are you with Mandometer treatment?
  9. How does your experience of Mandometer treatment compare to your experience of previous treatments?
PatientSurvey_2015_Figur4
Figure 4. Do you think that something is missing in treatment at the Mandometer clinics?

21 patients who felt that something was missing from Mandometer treatment suggested one or more of the following improvements:

Meet with patients who are in remission
Learn more about how the body works
Speak with a psychologist
Group sessions

PatientSurvey_2015_Figur5
Figure 5. Would you recommend Mandometer treatment to a friend or someone you know with an eating disorder?

90 percent of patients responded that they would recommend Mandometer treatment to a friend with an eating disorder (Figure 5).