Readiness to the treatment and the level of medical knowledgein patients with eating disorders
Keywords:
Eating disorders, motivation for treatment, anorexia, bulimiaAbstract
Background. Early diagnosis of eating disorders and the readiness and motivation of the patient to take medication on the other hand are crucial in the treatment of these behavioral disorders. The aim of this research was to assess the level of knowledge of patients with eating disorders about the etiology, treatment and complications of their disease. The relationships between the level of knowledge and readiness to take medication were analyzed in the study, too.
Material. The study included 99 women with diagnosed eating disorders (33 women with anorexia, 35 with bulimia and 31 with compulsive bingeing) aged between 13 and 39 years.
Methods. The original questionnaire, which included questions about patients’ knowledge concerning the etiology, methods and course of treatment, medical complications of eating disorders was used in the study. Statistical analyzes were performed using the statistical package SPSS 18.
Results. The level of readiness to take treatment in women with anorexia has a positive correlation with the level of knowledge about methods, course of treatment and the medical complications resulting from this disease. We have shown a positive relationship between knowledge of the etiology of bulimia and the methods and course of treatment of this disease. There was no such relationship in case of women with compulsive bingeing.
Conclusions. The results suggest that one needs to implement individual approach to the patients taking into account the need for information about their disease in clinical practice to improve patients’ motivation for treatment of eating disorders.
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