Nursing Care Considerations for the Hospitalized Patient with an Eating Disorder

Barbara E Wolfe; Julie P Dunne; Meredith R Kells

doi:10.1016/j.cnur.2016.01.006

Nursing Care Considerations for the Hospitalized Patient with an Eating Disorder

Nurs Clin North Am. 2016 Jun;51(2):213-35. doi: 10.1016/j.cnur.2016.01.006.

Authors

Barbara E Wolfe¹, Julie P Dunne², Meredith R Kells²

Affiliations

¹ Boston College Wm. F. Connell School of Nursing, Maloney Hall, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA. Electronic address: wolfeb@bc.edu.
² Boston College Wm. F. Connell School of Nursing, Maloney Hall, 140 Commonwealth Avenue, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.

PMID: 27229277
DOI: 10.1016/j.cnur.2016.01.006

Abstract

Eating disorders are chronic psychiatric illnesses with significant medical complications, psychological distress, and psychiatric comorbidity. Although many patients are treated on an outpatient basis, inpatient care for the more severely ill hospitalized patient can be challenging given the severity of illness and concurrent issues requiring intervention. This article provides an overview of the clinical characteristics of eating disorders typically seen for inpatient care, focusing primarily on anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa, and the associated key areas for nursing assessment, diagnoses, and plan of care during hospitalization.

Keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Binge eating disorder; Bulimia nervosa; Eating disorders; Hospitalization; Inpatient; Nursing care; Nursing diagnoses.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Anorexia Nervosa / nursing*
Bulimia / nursing*
Hospitalization
Humans
Interdisciplinary Communication
Nurse's Role*
Nursing Assessment / methods*
Nutritional Status
Patient Care Team / organization & administration
Severity of Illness Index