ABSTRACT
Despite evidence for the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of family-based treatment (FBT; Agras et al., 2014; Couturier, Kimber, & Szatmari, 2013; Lock, Agras, Bryson, & Kraemer, 2005; Lock, Couturier, & Agras, 2008; Lock, Le Grange, Agras, & Dare, 2001; Lock et al., 2010; Madden et al., 2015) in treating children and adolescents diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN), many clinicians continue to use this model without high fidelity to the treatment manual (Couturier et al., 2013; Kosmerly, Waller, & Robinson, 2014). This is one example of the “research-practice” gap; that is, the disjuncture between research evidence and what is actually applied in routine clinical practice. Reductions in the research-practice gap have the potential to reduce patient morbidity and mortality while also decreasing healthcare costs through appropriate assessment and application of evidence-based treatments (Brownson, Colditz, & Proctor, 2012).
