Objective A retrospective review of clinical characteristics, admission patterns, management and discharge destinations of patients admitted with eating disorders (ED) to a UK hospital. Design/method We conducted a retrospective review of electronic records and nutrition support team (NST) data for patients coded with an ED between January 2014 and December 2022. Results During the study period, there were 81 admissions which represented 37 patients as some were admitted multiple times. Of the 81 admissions, 78 were females and the median age was 30 years. The highest spike of admissions (16) was seen at the peak of the pandemic with a steady increase prior to this. The underlying ED was primarily anorexia nervosa-restrictive subtype (73%). The majority of referrals were received from general practice (59.3%). Low body weight (46.9%) was the most common indication for admission. Median body mass index was 14.2 (range 10.2–22.7 kg/m 2 ). Median time to receive a review was 4 days for NST, 2 days for dietetics and 10 days for the consultant psychiatrist. Nutrition was delivered via the oral route in 53.1% and nasogastric feeding tube in 46.9%. In 19.7%, nutrition was delivered under section of the Mental Health Act. Median length of stay was 9 days. Discharge destination included a specialist EDs unit for 21%, home with community follow-up in 38.3%, home with no follow-up in 29.6%. Two patients died during the study period. Conclusions This study provides evidence of admission characteristics, review patterns and discharge destinations for patients admitted with ED. This study suggests an increase in ED admissions. NST involvement is highly recommended.
Jafar et al. (Thu,) studied this question.