Lack of followup cited by U.K. study of WLS patients
This is an eye-opener ... they're saying that 2/3 of WLS patients are not getting appropriate aftercare, and revert to their old habits.
Now, it's a British newspaper article - don't know how accurately it would reflect our Ontario reality...
Now, it's a British newspaper article - don't know how accurately it would reflect our Ontario reality...
The report, called 'Too lean a service?', is from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD), which is led by doctors. It looked in detail at 357 cases out of the 3280 bariatric surgery patients identified over a six-month period in 2010.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/oct/18/weight-loss-su rgery-care-report?CMP=twt_gu
This is an important study. When a health care program undertakes to provide WLS, it must also undertake to provide appropriate aftercare, and to some extent, some monitoring and tracking of their patients post-op. The bariatric centres in their current form are but a beginning in need of a lot of fine tuning. This is starting to happen with having the centres all agree on protocols for pre-surgical diet, recommended supplements, and the post-op eating guidelines, and this supposed to come together by the end of the year. The next step should be a massive education campaign for health care practitioner about WLS and the needs of those patients, but this will be difficult. It is incredibly important that as WLS patients, we all learn to advocate for ourselves and our needs within the health care system. Never depend on anyone else to tell you how to take care of yourself or your health. I think there is a tendency for WLS post-ops to ignore the fact that they have medicalized themselves for life with their surgery; that they will always be WLS patients requiring aftercare and follow-up for things that we are at an above average risk for like nutritional deficiencies and bowel obstructions, gallbladder problems, hernias, etc.
I think in the afterglow of having lost a ton of weight and having new and exciting opportunities again physically, personally, and how wonderful life can be again, it can be easy to forget about all the medical needs we still have and must attend to everyday, like getting our protein and taking our vitamins and supplements, and of course going for regular blood work - and this is at the least. Some people seem to want to 'just live a normal life' but ignore the fact that their bodies are no longer 'normal'. It is almost like a mentally ill person who gets on good meds, starts to feel so much better, and then goes off their meds because they don't think they need them anymore, because hey! they aren't depressed anymore - only to find themselves spiraling down in a short time. When we forget about the unique needs of our surgically altered bodies, we do ourselves harm in the short and long term.
There needs to be well qualified health care practitioners with good information, education, and follow-up available throughout Ontario. I hope that OHIP will make it a priority to ensure that WLS patients who are 5 years out of surgery and are transitioning from being follow-up and cared for at the bariatric centres to a family doctor all actually have GPs to see and do follow-up with, and who are knowledgeable about the needs of WLS patients. Otherwise, I worry about what this glut of people having surgery now in Ontario are going to look like in 10 years time.
I think in the afterglow of having lost a ton of weight and having new and exciting opportunities again physically, personally, and how wonderful life can be again, it can be easy to forget about all the medical needs we still have and must attend to everyday, like getting our protein and taking our vitamins and supplements, and of course going for regular blood work - and this is at the least. Some people seem to want to 'just live a normal life' but ignore the fact that their bodies are no longer 'normal'. It is almost like a mentally ill person who gets on good meds, starts to feel so much better, and then goes off their meds because they don't think they need them anymore, because hey! they aren't depressed anymore - only to find themselves spiraling down in a short time. When we forget about the unique needs of our surgically altered bodies, we do ourselves harm in the short and long term.
There needs to be well qualified health care practitioners with good information, education, and follow-up available throughout Ontario. I hope that OHIP will make it a priority to ensure that WLS patients who are 5 years out of surgery and are transitioning from being follow-up and cared for at the bariatric centres to a family doctor all actually have GPs to see and do follow-up with, and who are knowledgeable about the needs of WLS patients. Otherwise, I worry about what this glut of people having surgery now in Ontario are going to look like in 10 years time.
I had OHIP approved Duodenal Switch surgery with Dr. Dennis Hong at St. Joseph's Hamilton on March 7th, 2012. Want more information on the DS in Ontario? Send me a private message!
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