Aims
The Australian Government Department of Health contracted InsideOut to develop a minimum dataset (MDS) for the eating disorder illness group, with consideration given to appropriate data capture mechanisms and the scoping of a national registry. The MDS will facilitate improved data capture, enhance understanding of treatment pathways and outcomes, and lay the groundwork for a future national eating disorder registry in Australia.

Background
Eating disorders are complex psychiatric illnesses requiring multidisciplinary care across both mental and medical healthcare settings. Yet there has hitherto been no nationally comprehensive, consistent, agreed on or mandated dataset or data collection strategy for eating disorders in Australia, and little has been known about the outcomes of care or the treatment pathways taken by individuals with eating disorders. This project utilised a four-step Delphi methodology, involving national consultations followed by three rounds of quantitative feedback from an expert panel. It has resulted in the development of a nationally agreed-upon MDS for eating disorders, reflecting high expert consensus and engagement across diverse stakeholders.