Previous studies
Garrett (1991) studied nurses working with severely anorexic
patients in five eating disorder units of Sydney hospitals. Her
interviews examined nurses’ experiences of nursing anorexia
nervosa sufferers and their perceptions of their rewards and
difficulties in caring for these patients. King and Turner
(2000) looked at the emotional ‘roller-coaster’ journey that
nurses go through in caring for adolescents with anorexia in
Victorian public hospitals. They explored the ‘highs’ and
‘lows’ of the job and focused on nurses’ values and how these
were challenged, as frustration and anger set in.
Both studies suggest a strong need for education programmes
to support nurses, for new treatment plans and for
nurses to have a greater say in the formulation of treatment
programmes. My study of adolescents with anorexia in a
paediatric setting aimed to extend these two studies. My
initial aim was to explore the development of successful
therapeutic relationships with this unique group of patients
but, like King and Turner (2000), I discovered that nurses
were struggling to develop such alliances and I turned instead
to recording and explaining the difficulties and obstacles
hindering the formation of therapeutic relationships. It was
not my intention to replicate King and Turner’s (2000) study
but my findings were very similar to theirs. I do not claim to
have discovered any concrete solutions for eradicating the
obstacles it identifies but the study does support both others
in finding that nurses still do not receive adequate education,
support and preparation for dealing with this challenging
disorder in an acute care setting.