Family involvement

Families should be engaged from the beginning of treatment and should be included in family meetings and treatment planning sessions
Explore how the maladaptive eating response might serve a specific function within the family
- What part does the eating disorder serve in stabilizing the family system?
- How has the family attempted to deal with the eating disorder?
- What is the central theme surrounding the eating behavior?
- What would be the consequences of change for each family member?
- What is the underlying therapeutic issue from a family perspective?

Evaluation

Evaluations activities can address three specific aspects of care:
- Have normal eating patterns been restored?
- Have the biological and psychological sequelae of malnutrition been corrected?
- Have the associated sociocultural and behavioral problems been resolved so that relapse does not occur?
These patients present unique challenges to psychiatric nursing care and evaluation should begin with a focus on the therapeutic nurse-patient relationship