6064 Managing eating disorders on the acute paediatric ward: exploration of the challenges

Objectives On occasion young people require admission to acute paediatric wards in the Southern Trust for management of their eating disorder. Anecdotally, paediatric staff report that the management of these patients poses particular challenges. We aim to explore the challenges perceived by paediatric staff in the management of patients with eating disorders. Following increased understanding of the difficulties presented we will use this information inform any interventions or improvements. Methods An anonymous survey was distributed amongst clinical staff in paediatric wards in the Southern Trust. The survey posed the questions: What do you perceive are the challenges encountered in managing patients with eating disorders on the acute paediatric ward? What suggestions do you have that might help improve the management of patients with eating disorders on the ward? Results The survey results were a rich source of qualitative data and provided a multitude of comments in relation to the perceived challenges in managing patients with eating disorders. Following thematic analysis, the key areas of difficulty were related to: Busyness of clinical environment Lack of training Specifics of clinical management Relationships between paediatric and eating disorder teams Perception ward suitability for admission/cultural issues. Conclusion Following the survey and subsequent analysis of the comments we have gained significant insight into the difficulties perceived by paediatric staff in the managing young people with eating disorders. The key themes that have emerged will directly inform our strategy for change, ultimately leading to improvement in patient management.