The role of Primary Health Nurses in the care and treatment of people with eating disorders

Nurses play a vital role in the treatment and care for people living with eating disorders. They are often one of the earliest points of contact for a person with symptoms, and their holistic approach to health care puts them in a good position to work on the prevention, early detection, screening and management of people living with the illness.

Bridget Mulvey is a Clinical Nurse Consultant with InsideOut Institute and a Mental Health Nurse with extensive experience working with people with an eating disorder across a variety of settings. We took 5 with Bridget to understand just how critical it is to provide effective support early.

Q: What are the most important skills/knowledge/attributes a nurse can have when working with people with eating disorders?

“Nurses naturally work in a holistic and practical manner. This allows patients, families, and carers at different stages of treatment – whether in crisis or later in their journey – to be seen as a whole person beyond the illness,” she said.

“Nurses employ core skills when caring for someone with an eating disorder including demonstrating empathy, providing reassurance and hope and delivering evidence-based treatment."

Q. Primary Health nurses working in community settings are well positioned to assist people with symptoms of eating disorders and with the right training can offer early identification that might otherwise be missed. How can they potentially play a larger role?

“We know that many people with eating disorders go undetected when they present to health services. If primary health nurses are equipped with an understanding of the illness, they will be well positioned to screen and detect at the early stages. Early intervention can make the difference between years of hidden struggles and help achieve recovery sooner.”

Q. You have done a lot of teaching as an academic and as a trainer for NSW Health. What are the most in demand skills/knowledge around eating disorders for nurses and other practitioners?

“People often feel anxious about working in this field and worry about saying the wrong thing. There is also stigma and many misperceptions about individuals with eating disorders within healthcare services. Clinicians want to deepen their understanding of these illnesses and develop skills to communicate effectively with people affected by eating disorders. It is lovely to see nurses and other healthcare professionals build confidence, become more willing to work in this space and pass on their knowledge, and encourage their colleagues too.”

Q. Are these skills covered in the microcredential training?

“The microcredential training introduces eating disorders illnesses for nurses in the context of the primary heath settings such as general practice or schools. Modules cover symptomatology and behaviours, skills in detection/screening, treatment and monitoring and how to talk to someone sensitively and effectively who may be engaging in eating disorder behaviours. The aim of this course is to build capacity and confidence in primary health nurses who are often the first point of contact in the health system and so the perfect position to offer an early intervention at a crucial point in time.”

InsideOut Institute have partnered with The Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney have developed Eating Disorders for Primary Health Nurses – an online microcredential designed to offer primary health nurses the opportunity to gain knowledge and tools in prevention, identification, screening, and management of patients with eating disorders and develop strategies and confidence in talking to and supporting people with eating disorders, awareness of at risk groups and the stigma that is associated with these illnesses.

You can find out more about Eating Disorders for Primary Health Nurses here