Self-admission to in-patient treatment: Patient experiences of a novel approach in the treatment of severe eating disorders

Abstract

Introduction

The course of an eating disorder is often prolonged and can lead to enduring disability for many years, with some patients requiring lengthy periods of in-patient care. Unfortunately, there is still little evidence concerning the optimal model of in-patient care for these patients.

Objectives

Self-admission is a novel treatment tool, whereby patients who have high health care utilization are offered the possibility to self-admit to an inpatient ward for up to seven days, because of deteriorating mental health or any other reason. Purposes behind the model are to increase the availability of in-patient care, to promote autonomy and agency, and to decrease total inpatient care utilization.

Aims

To investigate whether self-admission can be beneficial for patients with severe eating disorders.

Methods

Two beds out of eleven at a specialist eating disorders inpatient unit were reserved for self-admission of well-known patients. All participants were interviewed about their experiences in the program at 6 months.

Results

Participants described an increased sense of agency and safety in their everyday lives. Suggestions were also made, such as a more active outreach approach in promoting admission, providing a continual staff contact during the brief admission episode, and offering a similar self-admission model for day treatment.

Conclusions

Self-admission is a viable tool in the treatment of severe eating disorders and can increase quality of life by providing a safety net and promoting agency. However, logistical obstacles must be addressed in order to promote a constructive use.

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.