Anorexia nervosa: service consumption and outcome of local patients in the Leicester service

Abstract

Aims and MethodA retrospective case note study provided data on the service consumption and outcome of treatment for a cohort of adult anorexia nervosa sufferers treated in a specialised secondary service.ResultsA cohort of 106 patients was studied. Only just over a quarter were ever admitted. Of a subset of 78 patients, first seen before 1994, nearly one-fifth failed to engage in treatment. Those who were admitted spent on average a total of 10 months in hospital, were in touch for four years and had over 100 therapy sessions. The majority who were treated solely as out-patients remained in touch with the service on average for over two years.Clinical ImplicationsServices for anorexia nervosa sufferers need to plan for prolonged contact with their patients and high rates of service consumption.

Anorexia Nervosa and Low Weight EDNOS: A 10‐year Study of Service Consumption and Outcome in a Local Specialised Service for Adults

“…In comparison with the earlier study from the same service (Palmer et al, ), a smaller proportion of patients, (22.8% compared with 29.5%) had been admitted as an in‐patient during their treatment with the service. However, the earlier paper included only patients with AN.…”

Management of child and adolescent eating disorders: the current evidence base and future directions

“…Whilst the St Georges study lacked power and had other difficulties, it did clearly demonstrate that many older adolescent and adult patients with AN were able to make progress with fairly modest outpatient treatment (Gowers, Norton, Halek, & Crisp, 1994). The majority of people with AN are treated on an outpatient basis (Palmer, Gatward, Black, & Park, 2000), although such treatment tends to be poorly described and documented and presumably varies considerably between services.…”

Dropping Out from Psychological Treatment for Eating Disorders: What are the Issues?

“…Setting of treatment. Most of the treatments for anorexia which have been described in the research literature involve inpatient stays, even though most cases, especially the less severe, are managed as outpatients (Hsu, 1986;Palmer et al, 2000). Increasingly day programme services are used as a substitute for inpatient treatment for severe but functioning anorectics or as a transition stage between inpatient and outpatient care (Dalle Grave et al, 1993;R.…”