The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry
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Aust N Z J Psychiatry · Mar 1995
Comparative StudyEating 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 deciding the type of services needed for eating disorder (ED) patients in New South Wales (NSW). The demographic and clinical characteristics of 155 patients consecutively admitted to a special ED unit at a major Sydney teaching hospital during the triennium 1989-1991 were documented and compared with relevant data from the State as a whole (709 admissions for ED to public facilities and 938 admissions for ED to private facilities during the same period). The findings are discussed in the light of information from overseas studies. ⋯ Most referrals are tertiary, and there is a high prevalence of physical morbidity indicating a need for access to general medical facilities. Most serious physical complications occur in patients who can be identified by their chronicity and by the pattern of their behavioural disturbance. These various factors are considered in the formulation of recommendations for rationalizing the service.