Abstract
This study aimed to understand the meanings of treatment dropout of patients with eating disorders (ED) who were followed up at a specialized service. It is a cross-sectional, exploratory descriptive study with a qualitative design. Six women aged between 19 and 37 years, single, professionally active and with diagnoses of ED participated. Individual interviews were conducted, and the collected data were subjected to thematic content analysis. Reasons for treatment dropout were due to many factors, involving aspects related to the team, to the treatment protocol and to patients themselves. As dropout occurs for multiple reasons, it is important to qualify and train the team of professionals, emphasizing the importance of the therapeutic alliance and the empathic process with the patient in order to enhance adhesion to the therapeutic plan. Knowledge of the factors identified as dropout triggers may help to the early identification of individuals at risk and to implement therapeutic measures aimed at a better prognosis.
Eating disorders; Patient dropouts; Qualitative research