An evidence-based eating disorder program

The Children's Hospital of Denver has an internationally renowned outpatient-inpatient treatment program for children, adolescents, and young adults with eating disorders (EDs). A unique feature of this ED program is its inpatient location on a medical unit. The nurses are medically trained, yet their patients with EDs have complex emotional and psychological problems. To address the special needs of these patients, a child life specialist worked in collaboration with other members of an ED health care team to create a program better serving ED pediatric patients. An evidence-based approach was used to drive this program. The child life specialist queried other health care facilities for best practice ideas, searched the literature, and analyzed unit-based ED data to design a program matching the needs of the patients.