Identifying potential cases of eating disorders in an acute medical hospital

To identify patients presenting to an acute medical hospital with common signs and symptoms that occur in people with eating disorders (EDs), and determine by retrospective file audit if these are diagnosed cases of an ED.

The investigators screened electronic medical records of people 16 years and older for common signs and symptoms of an ED such as hypokalemia, in patients presenting to an acute hospital in Sydney, Australia from 2018 to 2020. Cases where the clinical finding was unexplained had their file audited. Cases with a known ED diagnosis or coded with an ED were also retrieved to audit.

Investigators identified 192 definite ED cases with a total of 598 episodes of care from 2018 to 2020 presenting to the hospital. Eighty-three cases were identified as possible EDs due to unexplained clinical signs consistent with an ED, but were not confirmed cases due to lack of clinical history in the file. Only 19.1% of presentations were diagnostically coded with an ED in the electronic medical record.

Our study revealed a large number of definite ED cases presenting to an acute medical hospital via the emergency department, who were not recognized as having an ED. Greater awareness of clinical signs and symptoms of an ED, such as unexplained low body mass index and hypokalemia, is necessary among acute care clinicians. Correctly identifying EDs in those seeking somatic care should be a public health priority, to facilitate timely and equitable access to diagnostic assessment and evidence based treatment.

People with eating disorders (EDs) present to acute care settings and have a relatively high utilization of generalist health services with nonspecific problems such as abdominal pain. An enhanced understanding of healthcare utilization by people with EDs, who may not disclose their symptoms, is crucial for improving access to treatment.