Recovery From Anorexia Nervosa: A Concept Analysis

Despite decades of research, we still know surprisingly little about how best to bring about lasting recovery from anorexia nervosa (AN). Furthermore, there is a lack of consensus in the research and treatment communities about what constitutes recovery from AN, or whether "recovery" is even an appropriate term to use in this context. The aim of this study was to analyse the concept of AN recovery from the perspectives of various stakeholders.

Concept analysis.

Walker and Avant's eight-stage concept analysis method.

There continues to be a lack of consensus around the defining criteria for AN recovery. However, there are certain clinical, psychological and quality-of-life attributes that are recurrent in those defined as being in recovery.

Though BMI and rate of weight gain are the primary criteria used to define recovery from AN, in recent years it has become clear that the definition of healthy weight varies and that weight alone is insufficient to fully define recovery. With recent advancements in biomarker and genetics research, there is hope that more objective measures of recovery will be defined. Quality of life as defined by both patients and caregivers is also critical to recovery; however, it is often not adequately assessed in studies of AN. Though the path to recovery is highly individualised, and there are risks in implementing strict criteria for recovery, in research, consensus is needed for adequate comparison of studies evaluating different treatment modalities. Additionally, such criteria are needed to help clinicians with decision-making authority, including advanced practice nurses, provide the most effective treatment options to their patients. Future research should focus on better defining recovery from AN and on facilitating nurse-led system-level advocacy to educate and equip advanced practice nurses in helping those with AN move toward recovery.

This concept analysis provides an overview of recovery from AN from the perspectives of a wide array of stakeholders and the last 20 years of published data.

This study did not include patient or public involvement in its design, conduct, or reporting.