Effect of Obesity on Quality of Care
Patients suffering from obesity suffer immensely from stigma during the process of care due to avoidance. This stigma ultimately affects the quality of care they receive from the healthcare teams availed to them. Stigma is mainly due to the association of obesity with harmful life choices that lead patients down the path of unhealthy body weight and exposure to other diseases (Phillips & Shikora, 2018). The poor quality of care received results in a vicious cycle of mistrust amongst the patients and healthcare professionals. The lack of belief amongst the team causes worsened health situations characterized by more chronic conditions.
Effect of Obesity on Patient Safety
Patient safety is compromised in obese patients and is a major concern during their management. This is because the weight of most patients exceeds the required weight specification for most equipment present at healthcare facilities (Phillips & Shikora, 2018). These dangers are fully experienced during surgeries when the safety of a patient is a primary concern. Incidences of falls within the healthcare centers are also common and detrimental for obese patients, sometimes leading to severe fractures.
Costs of Obesity for the System
Obesity costs the healthcare system a monumental amount of funds that could be spent changing the lives of the American people differently. Obesity causes other conditions such as cardiovascular conditions which make treatment more expensive (Carlson & Leyd, 2018). Additionally, these associated conditions require greater deductions from the insurance funding and additional out-of-pocket expenses. The management of obesity also requires constant monitoring by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare workers hence greater expenses.
Effects of Obesity on the Individual
Obesity is associated with poor quality of life in many patients due to the limiting nature of the condition. Obese patients cannot move effectively within the environment and fulfill their various responsibilities (CDC, 2020). This means that the condition hampers a person’s ability to become an economically viable member of the community. Obesity is also associated with poor mental health outcomes due to the stigma accompanied by the disease. The mistreatment by other people results in poor social connections and decreased participation in community events by obese individuals.
Nursing Standards in Obesity
Nursing standards require nurses to combat arising healthcare issues in a systematic process that ensures all areas are covered. These include the first assessment stage which reviews a patient’s condition in general. The second step is diagnosis which enables nurses to come up with the condition a patient is suffering from and enables the following phase (Tchang et al., 2021). Treatment and management ensure that a patient’s condition is addressed and health restored. The final stage of planning ensures that an intervention is assessed for effectiveness so no errors are made. The principles of nursing practice are also key in ensuring that obesity is addressed. These encompass beneficence that ensures benefit to the patient, autonomy allows patients to make decisions on their health. Non-maleficence guarantees that nurses never harm their patients while justice requires nurses to be fair in the administration of treatment to their patients.
Effectiveness of Standards
The nursing standards elaborated above ensure that the quality of life patients lead is improved through a systematic assessment of obesity. They reduce the number of times patients visit the healthcare facility, reducing the cost of care. These follow-up of patients ensures they recover fully, reduces relapse and readmission, and boosts patient safety (Tchang et al., 2021). The four core principles of nursing also ensure that the individual receives personalized care, preventing discrimination and boosting the mental health which is initially affected by obesity.
Effects of Policies on my Nursing Practice
Government standards for combating obesity include the tax on extra sugar in flavored drinks and foods. This makes such products expensive, minimizing their consumption amongst members of the general public. This move ensures that obesity is reduced in the country, saving the nation millions in healthcare costs. The US government also instituted laws that governed the improvement of sidewalks and lanes to ensure adolescents and children walk and cycle more within the nation. Such increased physical activity is crucial in preventing the accumulation of fat associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
Suggested Strategies to Improve Quality of Care
A new method of dealing with obesity called liposuction has been employed in cosmetics, enabling patients to remove fat from undesired sections of their bodies. The same mechanism can be employed in combating obesity as it involves easy removal and recovery of body shape to a non-obese state (Rosen et al., 2019). The strategy can improve the quality of care by ensuring that patients do not have to experience the tedious process of exercise for weight loss. Costs are also likely to be minimal in the long term while offering a quick-fix solution.
Effectiveness of Suggested Strategies
Liposuction has been a method under investigation for its effectiveness in combating obesity. This method has demonstrated remarkable efficiency and success in enabling obese people to recover from this lifestyle illness. Further research has been suggested and is currently ongoing on the effects of this procedure on other body systems (Rosen et al., 2019). It is poised to become a life-changer soon and with the advancement of technology.
I met D.T, a 60-years old obese patient at the Cobble Hill Rehabilitation Center Nursing Home for an interview. The conversation was an incredible opportunity to experience the lived experiences of obese people in the healthcare environment firsthand. D.T was chatty and cooperative throughout the entire session and helped me realize the stigma these people are subjected to which negatively impacts their lives. He informed me that he was diagnosed with depression at one time in the course of his obesity journey. The medical team then encouraged him to revive his social life which previously included attending outdoor events. This was difficult due to the assumption that his friends did not like him anymore based on his new appearance. Before the interview, I interacted with insightful material that discussed evidence-based practices for obese people including diet and exercise. The document was an explanation of the effective exercise regimens that ensure effective intervention (Ryan & Kahan, 2018). The exercise encouraged would be effective in the long run due to its consideration of various patient factors such as residence and economic ability.
The review of the evidence-based practice documents enabled me to change my perspective on the handling of obese people and realize the need for combining exercise with diet. I realized that no single intervention could enable a patient to recover from this condition and subsequently reduce the possibility of other chronic illnesses. Leadership, especially that of the nurse in the healthcare facility would be crucial in ensuring the patient observed the guidelines that would ensure recovery from obesity. The advice disseminated inspired confidence in me at that moment and my fitness needed to be key. My mastery of the condition recognized through my prowess in answering the questions posed was vital in demonstrating my credibility in the scenario. Collaboration with the patient involved ensuring we agreed on the lifestyle changes he would make to aid his recovery from obesity. Some of the barriers encountered during the process include the patient’s hesitance to follow the proposed guidelines under the guise of personal research. He claimed to have read of obesity cases on the internet and proposed alternate exercises.
In the long run, the patient agreed with me on the presence of obesity and the need to tackle the condition. This was significant and would form the basis of treatment and adherence to proposed lifestyle changes. To overcome the barriers presented by the patient, I ensured that all information is disseminated was factual and verifiable. This enabled me to overcome the doubt presented by the internet-informed patient. My definition of obesity was expanded by the discussion guaranteeing that my assessment of the condition would be based on scientific measurements of patient parameters. This new definition eliminated the tendency common amongst healthcare officials that includes making observations of patients without due process. Given a chance to interview D.T afresh, I would ensure that our communication is clearer and more direct. I would settle for a less noisy area during our discourse to prevent concentration lapses and promote communication. I would also ensure that my position as a knowledgeable healthcare personnel is clear from the onset of the discourse. This would eliminate doubt and promote trust between D.T and me, ensuring he listened to my guidelines and advice more keenly.
References
Carlson, E. R., & Leyd, M. (2018). The Impact of Obesity on United States Health Care Expenditures. Journal of Obesity & Weight Loss, 3(9).
CDC. (2020). Adult Obesity. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Phillips, B. T., & Shikora, S. A. (2018). The history of metabolic and bariatric surgery: Development of standards for patient safety and efficacy. Metabolism, 79, 97–107.
Rosen, J., Darwin, E., Tuchayi, S. M., Garibyan, L., & Yosipovitch, G. (2019). Skin changes and manifestations associated with the treatment of obesity. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 81(5), 1059–1069.
Ryan, D. H., & Kahan, S. (2018). Guideline Recommendations for Obesity Management. Medical Clinics of North America, 102(1), 49–63.
Tchang, B. G., Saunders, K. H., & Igel, L. I. (2021). Best practices in the management of overweight and obesity. Medical Clinics, 105(1), 149-174.