Eating and feeding management and the role of the dietitian: more than just a meal plan - the wider role of the dietitian in eating disorder treatment

Eating disorders are serious psychiatric conditions which severely compromise the ability to engage in normal day-to-day living. National guidance recommends that patients are treated not by individuals but a multidisciplinary team. In the past, dietitians have been excluded from some manualised treatments for eating disorders and this has led to poor investment within some teams. However, the dietetic role goes beyond refeeding management and meal planning. This paper highlights the multiple areas where dietitians have been embedded within specialist teams and have developed advanced practice. It also explores how dietitians can bring their expertise to all areas of eating disorder treatment, including meal support, prescribing, nasogastric feeding and therapy, including, but not limited to, all variations of eating disorder cognitive behavioural therapy, family therapies for eating disorders, guided self-help and specialist supportive clinical management.