Download PDF of Key
Points - This sheet gives key point for hospital
staff, including diagrams of the Sit up–Squat–Stand test (to detect
muscle weakness).
The Management of Really Sick Patients with
Anorexia Nervosa (MARSIPAN) working group arose out of concerns
that a number of patients with severe anorexia nervosa were being
admitted to general medical units and sometimes deteriorating and
dying on those units because of psychiatric problems, such as
non-adherence to nutritional treatment, and medical complications,
such as re-feeding syndrome. Sometimes overzealous application of
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)
guidelines led to death from underfeeding syndrome. It seems there
are also worrying variations in practice.
This report aims to clarify the situation and
provides recommendations and unambiguous guidelines on the
management of this patient group in a number of settings, in order
to help reduce the number of avoidable deaths of patients with
severe anorexia nervosa. It provides:
- Advice on physical assessment.
- Advice to the primary care team and criteria
for admission to both medical units and specialist eating disorder
units as well as non-specialist psychiatric units, and criteria for
transfer between those services.
- Advice on the required members of the
in-patient medical team.
- Medical, nutritional and psychiatric
management of patients with severe anorexia nervosa in medical
units, including the appropriate use of mental health
legislation.
- Advice for commissioners on required services
for this group of very ill patients.
This is a joint report from the Royal College
of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of Physicians (London).
Contents
- Organisations endorsing the report
- MARSIPAN Working Group
- Executive summary and recommendations
- Introduction
- Issues arising in all settings
- Management in different sectors
- Audit and review
- References
Appendices
- Some cases reported to the MARSIPAN group by
colleagues
- Modified Newcastle guideline for MARSIPAN
cases
- Survey questionnaire sent to members of the
Eating Disorders Section electronic mailing list
- Compulsory treatment
- Use of initial low-calorie feeding rates in
anorexia nervosa
- Drug treatment during assisted nutrition in
patients extremely agitated and resistant to treatment
- MARSIPAN – Management of Really Sick Patients
with Anorexia Nervosa: key points for hospital staff