Top Ten Tips for Palliative Care in Anorexia Nervosa and Eating Disorder Care

Published in the Journal of Palliative Medicine, eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa (AN), present complex medical, psychiatric, and ethical challenges due to high morbidity, mortality, and multisystem complications. As palliative care clinicians increasingly encounter patients with severe and enduring AN, they may be asked to support symptom management, decision-making, and goals-of-care discussions in the context of uncertainty and treatment ambivalence. This interdisciplinary “Top Ten Tips” framework offers practical guidance across key domains, including early recognition of countertransference, careful assessment of medical severity and decision-making capacity, trauma-informed communication, and collaboration with eating disorder specialists. The article emphasizes the importance of nuanced, team-based care that balances clinical risk, ethical complexity, and patient values while maintaining prognostic humility.