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Peer-reviewedCC BY-NC-NDJournal of eating disorders

The impact of standardized meal plans for patients hospitalized for anorexia nervosa.

  • Joshua Borus1,2
  • Rachel Lockwood3
  • Gabriela Vargas1,2
  • Lisa Mancini1
  • Ramy Yim1
  • Sara Forman1,2
  • Tracy Richmond1,2
  1. 1Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, 333 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
  2. 2Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
  3. 3Division of Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Children's Hospital, 333 Longwood Ave, Boston, MA, 02115, USA. [email protected].
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Abstract

Introduction

Patients hospitalized with Restrictive Eating Disorders (REDs) often face heightened anxiety and challenges around meals. Inconsistent meal delivery and food choice complexity further complicate care. The study evaluated the tolerability of a standardized, no-choice meal plan by assessing nutritional supplement use via oral and nasogastric (NG) tube as proxies for meal completion.Methods

A quality improvement initiative at a pediatric hospital replaced patient-selected meals with a 7-day rotating standardized meal plan. Adolescent patients could exclude up to five "dislike" foods. Electronic medical record (EMR) data from 10 months pre- and 6 months post-implementation (n = 302) were analyzed for rates of supplement via oral and NG tube in the first week of hospitalization.Results

NG tube use decreased from 22% to 17% of patients and 11% to 6% of patient-days. Oral supplementation increased from 33% to 36% of patients and 18% to 19% patient-days. Changes were not statistically significant.Conclusion

The standardized meal plan was well tolerated. Future studies should assess psychological impacts and long-term outcomes of removing choice in meals.Implications and contribution

This brief provides initial evidence that a standardized meal plan in a hospital setting is well-tolerated and may provide benefits of reducing the psychological burden of choices for adolescents with REDs.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{borus2026impact,
  title = {{The impact of standardized meal plans for patients hospitalized for anorexia nervosa.}},
  author = {Joshua Borus and Rachel Lockwood and Gabriela Vargas and Lisa Mancini and Ramy Yim and Sara Forman and Tracy Richmond},
  journal = {Journal of eating disorders},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1186/s40337-026-01583-0},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894249},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - The impact of standardized meal plans for patients hospitalized for anorexia nervosa.
AU  - Joshua Borus
AU  - Rachel Lockwood
AU  - Gabriela Vargas
AU  - Lisa Mancini
AU  - Ramy Yim
AU  - Sara Forman
AU  - Tracy Richmond
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/01
JO  - Journal of eating disorders
DO  - 10.1186/s40337-026-01583-0
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42894249
AB  - Introduction  Patients hospitalized with Restrictive Eating Disorders (REDs) often face heightened anxiety and challenges around meals. Inconsistent meal delivery and food choice complexity further complicate care. The study evaluated the tolerability of a standardized, no-choice meal plan by assessing nutritional supplement use via oral and nasogastric (NG) tube as proxies for meal completion.Methods  A quality improvement initiative at a pediatric hospital replaced patient-selected meals with a 7-day rotating standardized meal plan. Adolescent patients could exclude up to five "dislike" foods. Electronic medical record (EMR) data from 10 months pre- and 6 months post-implementation (n = 302) were analyzed for rates of supplement via oral and NG tube in the first week of hospitalization.Results  NG tube use decreased from 22% to 17% of patients and 11% to 6% of patient-days. Oral supplementation increased from 33% to 36% of patients and 18% to 19% patient-days. Changes were not statistically significant.Conclusion  The standardized meal plan was well tolerated. Future studies should assess psychological impacts and long-term outcomes of removing choice in meals.Implications and contribution  This brief provides initial evidence that a standardized meal plan in a hospital setting is well-tolerated and may provide benefits of reducing the psychological burden of choices for adolescents with REDs.
SN  - 2050-2974
ER  -