Efficacy of a partial hospital programme for adults with eating disorders

• Published in: European eating disorders review 2018-05, Vol.26 (3), p.241-252
• Main Authors: Brown, Tiffany A., Cusack, Anne, Anderson, Leslie K., Trim, Julie, Nakamura, Tiffany, Trunko, Mary Ellen, Kaye, Walter H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Anorexia Nervosa - psychology; Anorexia Nervosa - therapy; Binge-Eating Disorder - psychology; Binge-Eating Disorder - therapy; Body Weight; Bulimia Nervosa - psychology; Bulimia Nervosa - therapy; Comorbidity; day treatment; Eating disorders; Female; Humans; Inpatients; Male; outcome; partial hospital; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; treatment
• ISSN: 1072-4133; 1099-0968
• DOI: 10.1002/erv.2589

Partial hospital programmes (PHPs) have demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of eating disorders (EDs); however, few programmes have examined long‐term outcomes across diagnoses, including subtypes of anorexia nervosa (AN). The present study examined the effectiveness of PHP for adult patients (n = 243) with AN‐restricting subtype (n = 79), AN binge/purge subtype (n = 46), and bulimia nervosa (n = 118). These patients tended to have long‐standing courses of illness (43%, illness duration >7 years) and high levels of psychiatric comorbidity (92.2%). Patients completed questionnaires at admission, discharge, and follow‐up, M (SD) = 11.50 months (5.29). Through follow‐up, all diagnoses demonstrated significant improvements in weight, ED psychopathology, and comorbid symptoms, with some exceptions for the AN binge/purge group. In exploratory analyses, 49% of patients met criteria for full or partial remission at discharge and 37% at follow‐up. Results provide support for the effectiveness of PHP in improving ED outcomes in a severe sample through longer‐term follow‐up.