The experience of caring for people with eating disorders: A qualitative study of nurses’ perspectives

Abstract

Background. Eating disorders (ED) are an increasingly prevalent problem with serious consequences for different spheres of life. This study aims to analyze nurses’ perspectives and experiences of the care provided to people diagnosed with an ED. Methods. Hermeneutical phenomenological qualitative study. Nineteen nurses from Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) collaborated in the research sharing their experience through interviews and stories, which were recorded, transcribed and analyzed thematically. Results. Three issues were obtained: a fight between the heart and mind, conscious reflection: the body says what the head keeps silent and learning how to care holisti-cally. Nurses experience a struggle with their feelings of transference / countertransference when caring for pa-tients. They set out to combine skills acquired from their experience with new research, without losing sight of the individual and the factors involved (family, society and work), which are key to understand the patient’s experience and recovery. Conclusions. Nurses need more specialization, ongoing training, coordination and teamwork with other professionals to provide people with holistic care. Gender perspectives should be taken into account to enable care to be adapted to the needs of men and women. This study takes an in-depth look at the care relationship between nurse and patient, to obtain a hitherto unknown perspective of care, which makes it possible to expand knowledge and individualize the care provided.