title: Assessment of anorexia nervosa: an overview of universal issues and contextual challenges.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anorexia Nervosa (AN) is a complex and clinically challenging syndrome. Intended for specialist audiences, this narrative review aims to summarise the available literature related to assessment in the adult patient context, synthesising both research evidence and clinical consensus guidelines.
  
  
  METHODS
  We provide a review of the available literature on specialist assessment of AN focusing on common trajectories into assessment, obstacles accessing assessment, common presenting issues and barriers to the assessment process, the necessary scope of assessment, and tools and techniques. It describes the further step of synthesising assessment information in ways that can inform resultant care plans.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In addition to assessment of core behaviours and diagnostic skills, considerations for the expert assessor include the functions of primary care, systemic and personal barriers, knowledge of current assessment tools and research pertaining to comorbid pathology in AN, assessing severity of illness, role of family at assessment, as well as medical, nutritional and compulsory elements of assessment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Comprehensive assessment of AN in the current healthcare context still remains largely the remit of the specialist ED clinician. Assessment should remain an on-going process, paying particular attention to available empirical evidence, thereby reducing the gap between research and practice.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago at Christchurch, 4 Oxford Terrace, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Lois J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Surgenor
authors.affiliation: Centre for Eating and Dieting Disorders, University of Sydney, 92-94 Parramatta Road, Camberdown, New South Wales 2050, Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maguire
keywords: Anorexia nervosa; Assessment; Eating disorders