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Volume 7, Issue 3 (Suppl)
J Obes Weight Loss Ther, an open access journal
ISSN: 2165-7904
Childhood Obesity & Bariatric Surgery 2017
June 12-13, 2017
June 12-13, 2017 Rome, Italy
&
Childhood Obesity and Nutrition
10
th
International Conference on
Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery
2
nd
International Conference on
JOINT EVENT
Post-surgical cliff after bariatric surgery: Accounts of patients and their health care professionals
Sandra Jumbe
Queen Mary University of London, UK
Statement of the problem:
The superiority of bariatric surgery for improving medical outcomes in severely obese individuals
when compared to other weight loss interventions remains undisputed. However, knowledge about the psychological impact of the
procedure on people’s lives is limited. Recent systematic reviews have shown persisting disordered psychosocial wellbeing after surgery
when compared to control groups, especially after long-term monitoring, suggesting need for psychological support and longer
term postoperative research on psychological outcomes. Research literature infers limited understanding regarding the postoperative
lived experience from the patient perspective. This may form a barrier in health professionals’ understanding of this patient group’s
postoperative ongoing needs. This study aimed to capture patients and health professionals’ accounts of the postoperative bariatric
surgery experience, exploring concordance between the two groups to gauge awareness of patients’ subsequent health needs.
Methodology and theoretical orientation:
Ten individuals who had bariatric surgery two or more years ago and eight bariatric
surgery practitioners were recruited within UK public hospital settings and individually interviewed by the researcher. The audio
recorded interviews were transcribed and examined using thematic analysis.
Findings:
Thematic analysis of the interviews elicited a key finding around ‘postsurgical cliffs in patient care’ within a heavily structured
service. This permeated through three themes; (1) navigating health changes (2) contrasting perspectives and (3) perceived prejudice.
Participants reported some unmet needs; namely psychological aftercare to facilitate adjustment following physical and psychological
changes. Issues with excess skin, acceptance of non-obese self and perceived prejudice were prominent. Impact of differing views of
success between patients and professionals on postoperative care within the service context was highlighted.
Conclusion & Significance:
Bariatric surgery is a great catalyst for weight loss in severe obesity. However, lack of psychological
aftercare may threaten weight loss outcomes over the longer term. Findings infer postoperative psychological support as a potential
facilitator for optimising results. Recommendations from a health psychology perspective are given.
s.jumbe@qmul.ac.ukJ Obes Weight Loss Ther 2017, 7:3 (Suppl)
DOI: 10.4172/2165-7904-C1-046