Clinical features of patients with anorexia nervosa: Assessment of factors influencing the duration of in-patient treatment

Predictive factors of length of inpatient treatment in anorexia nervosa

“…First, our findings that the minimal BMI after onset of anorexia, the BMI at admission, and the amplitude of weight contract (or weight to be gained) were not significantly linked to LOS did not support those of Nozoe et al [20] and Maguire et al [19]. Differing therapeutic approaches may account for these divergences.…”

“…Such patients also are more likely to have a longer history of ineffective treatment attempts. Although Nozoe et al [20] did not find a link between these variables and LOS, some characteristics of that research may explain why: 1. The sample size was small, 2.…”

“…Nozoe et al [20] and Maguire et al [19] also hypothesized that the presence of a comorbid disorder would affect LOS but did not demonstrate this. We did not, however, find significant differences between diagnostic groups in terms of LOS.…”

“…Among these approaches, inpatient treatment is considered the last resort, used only in cases of acute somatic and/or psychiatric need [2,7]. Traditionally, the length of stay (LOS) of such hospitalizations has been around 3 months in the UK [23], United States [18], and Switzerland [26], and between 2 and 7 months in Japan [20]. In the United States, LOS for anorexia nervosa has been dramatically reduced since the 1980s in favor of less intensive forms of care believed to be less costly and more costeffective [8,30].…”

“…Both studies consider only factors related to the patient. First, Nozoe et al [20] evaluated possible predictors of outcome for AN for their relationship to LOS. This research concerned 55 subjects who completed the entire course of a behavior-oriented inpatient therapy in Japan.…”