Primary care management of patients following bariatric surgery.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the nutritional, psychosocial, and other primary care issues faced by nurse practitioners (NPs) and their patients in the long-term management of the increasing population of patients who have had bariatric surgery.

DATA SOURCES: An extensive review of the literature provides the foundation for development of assessment and management strategies highlighted in a case study.

CONCLUSIONS

Management of the patient after bariatric surgery does not end with successful surgical healing. Numerous long-term implications, including significant psychosocial and nutritional issues, require the informed attention of the primary care provider for the rest of the life span.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Each year an increasing number of obese patients pursue a surgical solution to obesity, up to an estimated 100,000 in 2004. Numerous long-term health implications are specific to this population. NPs can improve the quality of primary care to these patients by being informed regarding the different procedures and their impact on physiologic phenomena, and the psychosocial issues inherent to extreme weight loss.