Protective Factors Preventing Admissions in Anorexic Patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An exploratory study into the protective factors that contribute to the prevention of repeated admissions, for a minimum period of 5 years, in patients over the age of 40 suffering from anorexia nervosa
IRAS ID
231968
Contact name
Ekundayo Sodeke-Gregson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Z6364106/2017/10/27 , UCL Data Protection Number
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 6 days
Research summary
Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is often associated with remission and relapse over the course of the illness which, in many cases, can be protracted. On our Eating Disorders Inpatient Ward based at St Ann’s Hospital, we have recognized a pattern of patients over the age of 40 years old being readmitted after years of managing their illness in the community without the need for admission. This appears to be in contradiction to research which has found that the prevalence of eating disorders amongst middle-aged and elderly women to be relatively rare.
This research aims to explore the natural history of older patients’ eating disorder journeys to get a better understanding of the protective factors that may keep some of these patients with long-standing AN out of hospital for significant periods of their lives. We are aiming to recruit patients over the age of 40 years old who have been suffering from AN for over seven years, and have had at least one inpatient admission followed by a significant period of time (i.e. 5 years or more) without inpatient admissions. We will use a semi-structured interview to learn about their experiences of managing their illness in the community and the protective factors that have contributed or prevented the need for an inpatient admission for a significant period of time.
Resources within our service are limited and inpatient admissions are very costly. Additionally, the NICE Guidelines for Eating Disorders (2017) recommends that, as far as possible, patients should be treated in the community without the use of inpatient admissions. Learning more about factors that help patients manage their illness in the community for significant periods of time will allow us to improve the support we provide for patients with the hope that this will reduce the need for inpatient admissions in the future.
REC name
London - Stanmore Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/LO/2073
Date of REC Opinion
30 Jan 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion