Bariatric surgery is continually becoming a major option for patients who are not responsive to other treatment options, or they have complications arising from obesity such as diabetes. Bariatric surgery commonly involves making the stomach smaller or sometimes changing the small intestines. However, even though the surgery paves the way for physiological weight loss, patient engagement to the programs designed for conducive weight management by the patient is overwhelmingly necessary for achieving bariatric success. This paper will highlight on how to engage bariatric patients before and after the surgery. Besides, the paper will also give insights on how social media can be used toe educate patients on bariatric surgery.
According to Bariatric Surgery Program Abstracts. (2014), successful weight loss for any patient needs commitment and constant long-term engagement by the care provider. The patients are supposed to be committed to their lifestyle changes which encompass better dieting and continuous physical exercise. The engagement can be facilitated through a variety of ways and strategies such as face-to-face meetings, phone calls, and web-based avenues. Bariatric professionals regard long-term relationships and engagement with the patients as a factor that improves their recovery. Engagement to the bariatric programs makes the patient adhere to a well-designed schedule that facilitate their initial and successive weight loss. Fourteen days before the main surgery, the patients are advised to begin a diet consisting of high protein liquid which assists in decreasing the liver and also makes the patient adjust to the diets they will be using in the entire bariatric program. After the completion of the surgery, the bariatric programs continues a long-term therapeutic relationship with the patients. On the other hand, patients require regular medical or nutritional therapy or behavioral reinforcement.
Most bariatric patients or virtually all of them have unsuccessfully tried various weight loss strategies. Some of them record having lost some pounds due to dieting or physical exercise (Rochin, 2012). However, the weight loss is not successful since most of almost all of them regain the weight again after some time. Therefore, most of them begin the bariatric program having unsuccessfully having tried some other weight loss strategies involving behavior change. Therefore, successful bariatric programs should focus heavily on physical exercise and diet alongside surgical preparations. Besides, building a long-term engagement with the patients to avoid regaining weight is also important. Long-term engagement helps in constantly reinforcing weakening aspects of the program thereby improving the outcomes of the bariatric surgery outcomes. The engagement in the entire program helps the program providers a chance to reach out to the patients, understand their level of risk and offer customized treatment programs to the individual patients based on their individual needs. This helps in generating a approaches that best suit high-risk patients and subsequently target the patients for further education and support so that their weight loss outcomes can be improved. Most engagement platforms that are widely used by most health plans include phone calls, emails, face to face meetings, and use of social media. On the other hand, health plans are introducing the aspect of incentives to improve the engagement process in the entire bariatric program. The incentives are rewards and gifts that are given to elicit motivations from the patients because most of them usually fall out during the programs. Therefore, such kind of motivations in the form of incentives improves their participation. Besides, incentives help in the behavioral management of the patients such as dieting and physical exercise.
Face to face meetings with patients and their care providers has been recognized for its efforts in an improved loss in weight among patients. Therefore, many bariatric programs recommend regular face to face meetings because of its success. However, many participants in the fail to attend the program to the end because of boredom or lack of motivation. Therefore, social media has provided an alternative medium where the stakeholders in the bariatric process can meet and engage through information sharing and education. Most bariatric programs use social media as one of the avenues through which the participants are personally and periodically invited to groups. There is evidence that the interaction with the patients through social media improves their weight loss process (Finnegan, 2013). Many patients are users on social media platforms and therefore using social media provides information to a larger number of participants. Besides, creating a group profile in social media where the patients can interact and improve their motivation in participating in the bariatric programs. Finally, using social media as a means of information dissemination in bariatric programs is cheaper than face to face meetings. This is because the participants give instructions and learn on social media platforms without physically meeting the care providers. This is both economical in time and finances. However, use of social media as an avenue for communication and education to potential bariatric program patients is less effective when used independently. This means that for effective weight loss for a patient they have to integrate other avenues such as face to face meetings and phone calls. This enables the care providers in the program to make an effective follow-up on the progress in the patients.
In conclusion, bariatric surgeries programs have to ensure that clients are actively engaged in ensuring that they achieve their desired goals. Patients and care providers have to work collaboratively in making progress more sustainable and reduce the chances in regaining the lost weight. Supporting the patients in both the short term and long term engagements helps in keeping track of their progress and also elicits motivation in their participation. Besides, the contribution of social media in educating potential bariatric programs patients cannot be overlooked. Social media plays a central role in ensuring that information reaches the target patients thereby equipping them with skills to help them in the entire bariatric process.
References
Bariatric Surgery Program Abstracts. (2014). ANZ Journal Of Surgery, 84, 1-6. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ans.12605
Finnegan, G. (2013). Social Media for Nurses Educating Practitioners and Patients in a Networked World Social Media for Nurses Educating Practitioners and Patients in a Networked World. Nursing Standard, 27(31), 30-30. http://dx.doi.org/10.7748/ns2013.04.27.31.30.b1489
Rochin, E. (2012). Healthcare Reform and Bariatric Nursing: Exploring Differences in Patient Experience between Bariatric and Non-Bariatric Patients. Bariatric Nursing And Surgical Patient Care, 7(1), 17-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/bar.2012.9998
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