Background

Anorexia nervosa is a growing problem in society and it is most common among women. It is a complex disease that affects both the mental and the physical health. The disease expresses itself differently from person to person, therefore, treatment should be individualized. Nurses need to gain insight into how patients feel about the treatment in order to understand their experience. Previous studies use statistical research to evaluate treatment. This study focuses on describing patients' concrete experiences during care and treatment for anorexia nervosa.

Aim

The aim is to highlight women's experiences of care and treatment for anorexia nervosa at hospital wards.

Method

The study was based on qualitative articles containing interviews. Nine articles were analysed according to Friberg's (2012) qualitative content analyse for literature-based studies.

Results

Four themes and twelve subthemes emerged from the analyse. The findings of the results are characterized by feeling isolated, not being seen, feeling trust and taking one step at the time. The quality of care affects the outcome of the treatment.

Conclusion

Nursing patients with anorexia nervosa is a complex task and skilled staff is required. The whole patient should be treated, both physically and mentally. When treating only the physical the underlying problem still exist and relapse is inevitable. Every individual is different and everyone has different problems. Individualized care is therefore required for the best treatment results.