Survey of perceptions and educational needs of primary care providers regarding management of patients with class II and III obesity in Ontario, Canada
Abstract Background Primary care providers (PCPs) are typically the primary contact for patients with obesity seeking medical and surgical weight loss interventions; however, previous studies suggest that fewer than 7% of eligible adult patients are referred to publically funded medical and surgical...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2021-01-01
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| Series: | BMC Family Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-020-01356-x |
| _version_ | 1828467373561085952 |
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| author | Boris Zevin Mary Martin Nancy Dalgarno Linda Chan Nardhana Sivapalan Robyn Houlden Richard Birtwhistle Karen Smith David Barber |
| author_facet | Boris Zevin Mary Martin Nancy Dalgarno Linda Chan Nardhana Sivapalan Robyn Houlden Richard Birtwhistle Karen Smith David Barber |
| author_sort | Boris Zevin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Primary care providers (PCPs) are typically the primary contact for patients with obesity seeking medical and surgical weight loss interventions; however, previous studies suggest that fewer than 7% of eligible adult patients are referred to publically funded medical and surgical weight loss interventions (MSWLI). Methods We performed an anonymous survey study between October 2017 and June 2018 to explore the knowledge, experiences, perceptions, and educational needs of PCPs in Southeastern Ontario in managing patients with class II and III obesity. Results Surveys were distributed to 591 PCPs (n = 538 family physicians; n = 53 nurse practitioners) identified as practicing in the Southeastern Ontario and 92 (15.6%) participated. PCPs serving a rural population estimated that 14.2 ± 10.9% of patients would qualify for MSWLI compared to 9.9 ± 8.5% of patients of PCPs serving an urban population (p = .049). Overall, 57.5% of respondents did not feel competent prescribing MSWLI to patients with class II/III obesity, while 69.8% stated they had ‘good’ knowledge of the referral criteria for MSWLI. 22.2% of respondents were hesitant to refer patients for bariatric surgery (BS) due to concerns about postoperative surgical complications and risks associated with surgery. Only 25% of respondents were comfortable providing long-term follow up after BS, and only 39.1% had participated in continuing education on management of patients with class II/III obesity in the past 5 years. Conclusion The majority of PCPs believe there is a need for additional education about MSWLI for patients with class II/III obesity. Future studies are needed to develop and compare the effectiveness of additional education and professional development around risks of contemporary BS, indications to consider referral for MSWLI, management and long-term follow-up of patients after BS. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T04:04:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-058f3a93136d42f1bb56b23828590d94 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2296 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T04:04:46Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Family Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-058f3a93136d42f1bb56b23828590d942022-12-22T01:21:32ZengBMCBMC Family Practice1471-22962021-01-012211810.1186/s12875-020-01356-xSurvey of perceptions and educational needs of primary care providers regarding management of patients with class II and III obesity in Ontario, CanadaBoris Zevin0Mary Martin1Nancy Dalgarno2Linda Chan3Nardhana Sivapalan4Robyn Houlden5Richard Birtwhistle6Karen Smith7David Barber8Department of Surgery, Queen’s UniversityDepartment of Family Medicine, Queen’s UniversityOffice of Professional Development and Educational Scholarship, Queen’s UniversityOffice of Professional Development and Educational Scholarship, Queen’s UniversityDepartment of Family Medicine, Queen’s UniversityDepartment of Medicine, Queen’s UniversityOffice of Professional Development and Educational Scholarship, Queen’s UniversityDepartment of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Queen’s UniversityDepartment of Family Medicine, Queen’s UniversityAbstract Background Primary care providers (PCPs) are typically the primary contact for patients with obesity seeking medical and surgical weight loss interventions; however, previous studies suggest that fewer than 7% of eligible adult patients are referred to publically funded medical and surgical weight loss interventions (MSWLI). Methods We performed an anonymous survey study between October 2017 and June 2018 to explore the knowledge, experiences, perceptions, and educational needs of PCPs in Southeastern Ontario in managing patients with class II and III obesity. Results Surveys were distributed to 591 PCPs (n = 538 family physicians; n = 53 nurse practitioners) identified as practicing in the Southeastern Ontario and 92 (15.6%) participated. PCPs serving a rural population estimated that 14.2 ± 10.9% of patients would qualify for MSWLI compared to 9.9 ± 8.5% of patients of PCPs serving an urban population (p = .049). Overall, 57.5% of respondents did not feel competent prescribing MSWLI to patients with class II/III obesity, while 69.8% stated they had ‘good’ knowledge of the referral criteria for MSWLI. 22.2% of respondents were hesitant to refer patients for bariatric surgery (BS) due to concerns about postoperative surgical complications and risks associated with surgery. Only 25% of respondents were comfortable providing long-term follow up after BS, and only 39.1% had participated in continuing education on management of patients with class II/III obesity in the past 5 years. Conclusion The majority of PCPs believe there is a need for additional education about MSWLI for patients with class II/III obesity. Future studies are needed to develop and compare the effectiveness of additional education and professional development around risks of contemporary BS, indications to consider referral for MSWLI, management and long-term follow-up of patients after BS.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-020-01356-xPrimary careObesity managementBariatric surgeryMedical weight lossSurvey study |
| spellingShingle | Boris Zevin Mary Martin Nancy Dalgarno Linda Chan Nardhana Sivapalan Robyn Houlden Richard Birtwhistle Karen Smith David Barber Survey of perceptions and educational needs of primary care providers regarding management of patients with class II and III obesity in Ontario, Canada BMC Family Practice Primary care Obesity management Bariatric surgery Medical weight loss Survey study |
| title | Survey of perceptions and educational needs of primary care providers regarding management of patients with class II and III obesity in Ontario, Canada |
| title_full | Survey of perceptions and educational needs of primary care providers regarding management of patients with class II and III obesity in Ontario, Canada |
| title_fullStr | Survey of perceptions and educational needs of primary care providers regarding management of patients with class II and III obesity in Ontario, Canada |
| title_full_unstemmed | Survey of perceptions and educational needs of primary care providers regarding management of patients with class II and III obesity in Ontario, Canada |
| title_short | Survey of perceptions and educational needs of primary care providers regarding management of patients with class II and III obesity in Ontario, Canada |
| title_sort | survey of perceptions and educational needs of primary care providers regarding management of patients with class ii and iii obesity in ontario canada |
| topic | Primary care Obesity management Bariatric surgery Medical weight loss Survey study |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-020-01356-x |
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