EATING DISORDER PATIENTS AT A NSW TEACHING HOSPITAL - A COMPARISON WITH STATE-WIDE DATA

The aim of the study was to present data which may be useful in decidi ng the type of services needed for eating disorder (ED) patients in Ne w South Wales (NSW). The demographic and clinical characteristics of 1 55 patients consecutively admitted to a special ED unit at a major Syd ney teaching hospital during the triennium 1989-1991 were documented a nd compared with relevant data from the State as a whole (709 admissio ns for ED to public facilities and 938 admissions for ED to private fa cilities during the same period). The findings are discussed in the li ght of information from overseas studies. Although a relatively large number of ED patients are admitted to hospitals in NSW, their short du ration of stay suggests that many may receive inadequate treatment. Th e unit in the Department of Psychiatry at the Royal Prince Alfred Hosp ital (RPA), the largest public ED service in NSW, provides a special s ervice for these patients. It is effective in bringing about nutrition al restoration, with a duration of stay similar to those reported from centres overseas. Most referrals are tertiary, and there is a high pr evalence of physical morbidity indicating a need for access to general medical facilities. Most serious physical complications occur in pati ents who can be identified by their chronicity and by the pattern of t heir behavioural disturbance. These various factors are considered in the formulation of recommendations for rationalising the service.