Eating disorders nursing: Roles, skills, and the therapeutic alliance

Abstract

A mixed method study was conducted to gain an understanding of the role of the eating disorders (ED) nurse and to explore the nurse-patient therapeutic alliance in this context. Thirty-five nurses from six ED treatment centres in Canada and America participated. The qualitative component involved manifest and latent content analyses of semi-structured interviews. From this, nine nursing roles were identified in addition to the skills, challenges and rewards of ED nursing. Three themes emerged in relation to the therapeutic alliance: creating a therapeutic environment, establishing a connection, and empowering patients. The quantitative component consisted of an established measure of therapeutic alliance in questionnaire form. Results from the survey supported the qualitative findings in identifying differences between Canadian and American nurses.