Improving competency in providing comprehensive healthcare for overweight and obese patients through medical education
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Citation
Abstract
The population of overweight and obese persons in the United States has continued to rise in the last several decades. Therefore, it is more important now than ever to have the ability to provide comprehensive and competent care to this population. Healthcare starts with the development of a provider patient relationship that needs to be established based on mutual respect and understanding. Unfortunately, many overweight and obese patients have reported their health care providers as a significant source of weight stigma. It is difficult to expect this patient population to accept care from health care providers who don't offer them a respectful and compassionate environment.
No matter the specialty, every healthcare provider will have overweight and obese patients making an intervention at the student level the most impactful. While obesity may be touched on during education on endocrine disorders, a thorough education on its complexities, not only medically but socially appears to be lacking. Thus, the proposed study will include both didactic and hands-on learning experiences. First, this intervention includes a lecture on the complex history of the BMI, current guidelines for healthy lifestyle interventions, pharmacological and surgical interventions for obesity, as well as, most importantly, a discussion of weight stigma and education on how to create a non-stigmatizing setting for patients. Then, students will participate in a hands-on clinical experience with overweight and obese patient actors who will provide feedback on the students’ ability to provide competent and comfortable care.