BariatricSource

By: Daniel J. Drake, MSN, RN, CBN, and Stephen Randall, CIE

The scientific study and treatment of obesity is becoming an increasingly specialized and discrete area of practice as the prevalence of obesity and obesity-related health conditions grows. More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese (1). Although reports suggest that the numbers of overweight and obese adults and adolescents are stabilizing, the rates continue to be alarming (1, 2, 3).

Morbid obesity challenges normal nursing and health care facility practices. Particular challenges include the need for special expertise among care providers, adequate staffing and specialized strategies and equipment aimed at improving safety for both the patient and the care provider (4). The National Association of Bariatric Nurses has called for nurses to make every effort to provide safe and ethical care for the morbidly obese (5).

In many cases, the provision of equitable, safe and sensitive care for morbidly obese people will require the use of specialized equipment, tools, and materials. Because of this, the health care product industry is a critical partner in the provision of care.

Over the past decade, the number of specialized bariatric products has grown, reducing the need for health care providers to improvise using less-than-optimal products and techniques. The health care product industry, recognizing these needs, has delivered an assortment of specialized bariatric products from which to choose.

The utilization of products designed for the obese benefits both client and provider. In some cases, simply knowing that gowns or beds in the right proportions are available increases confidence among people of size—confidence that they are valued and that their care needs have been anticipated. In other cases, the right patient-handling equipment is critical to accomplishing goals safely.

BariatricSource is intended to categorize many of the bariatric-related products currently on the market in a way that enables providers to easily locate and review the features of those products. This first edition of BariatricSource follows a long tradition on the part of Kestrel Health Information of bringing information about specialized products together in one convenient location.

Readers may also be familiar with our other product compilations, including WoundSource and IncontinenceSource. We hope that bariatric health care providers will find BariatricSource just as helpful in quickly finding the products that they need in order to provide care to the obese.

References:

1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, McDowell MA, Flegal KM (2007). Obesity among adults in the United States—no change since 2003–2004. NCHS data brief no 1. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics.
2. National Center for Health Statistics (2006). Prevalence of overweight among children and adolescents: United States, 2003–2004. Retrieved online January 12, 2009, from www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/hestats/overweight/overwght_child_03...
3. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, McDowell MA, Flegal KM (2008). High body mass for age among U.S. children and adolescents, 2003–2006. JAMA, 299(20), 2401-2405.
4. Rose MA, Drake DJ, Baker G, Watkins F, Waters W, Pokorny M (2008). Caring for morbidly obese patients: Safety considerations for nurse administrators. Nursing Management, 39(11), 47-50.
5. National Association of Bariatric Nurses (2007). Position statement on the safe, ethical, and equitable care of the morbidly obese. Bariatric Nursing and Surgical Patient Care, 2(2), 149-151.