Weight Loss Surgery Education Empowers Patients Before Procedure

DALLAS, TX--(Marketwire - May 30, 2012) - At the Live Life Again Center for Bariatric Surgery, Dr. David Kim is participating in the development of a pre-bariatric surgery program designed to educate patients ahead of their weight loss surgery procedure. He says he is in support of nurse or physician patient extenders to facilitate a multi-disciplinary program for his patients' overall health. David Kellenberger, PA is the clinic's registered dietitian who applied for the grant, and his passion for metabolic research and patient education has helped get this program started. By giving healthcare providers the educational and clinical tools to address both lifestyle and nutritional issues that commonly affect obese patients, Dr. Kim says he believes the Bari-Equipped program will help increase the success rate of bariatric procedures and ultimately address a growing epidemic in the U. S.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than one third of U. S. adults are obese, and no state has met the "Healthy People 2010" government initiative to lower obesity rates to 15%. While these obesity statistics are alarming, Dr. Kim says the more important issue to focus on is the fact that many with obesity are often malnourished and metabolically dysfunctional. As obese patients struggle with related conditions such as heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes among others, the Dallas weight loss surgeon stresses that an intervention such as the Bari-Equipped program is essential: "Motivation is not enough. Though patients' desires to change are important, metabolic change brought about by bariatric surgery is the tool that millions may benefit from. Education with regards to this physical bodily change brought on by surgery is at the center of permanently healthy lives."

The application for the Physician Assistant Foundation Prevention Ambassador Award outlines the objectives and goals of the Bari-Equipped program. The target population is men and women age 18 to 65 with stage 2 obesity and co-morbidity issues, or stage 3 obesity with or without co-morbidities. Of the 24 patients currently participating, 24 had the vertical gastric sleeve procedure, and 1 had the RNY gastric bypass. The six objectives highlighted in the application aim to confront not only the social and cultural issues associated with obesity, but the behavioral, nutritional, and biological issues as well. The objectives are broken into two categories: clinical and educational.

Educational Objectives

• Provide an interactive educational program with metrics used to measure knowledge and application of this knowledge
• Improve pre-surgical knowledge regarding success rates, possible complications, food intolerances, and other post-operative obstacles
• Create a multi-disciplinary, team-based approach where Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Mental Health Providers and more can support obese patients

Clinical Objectives

• To identify patients' unique educational needs, focus specifically on education concerning dietary supplement usage, lifestyle interventions, and creating a complete plan of care
• To maximize weight loss, minimize regain due to a lack of knowledge, skill, and self-efficacy
• To identify those with nutritional deficiencies, replete deficiencies and maximize dietary supplementation

With the first stage of the study complete, Dr. Kim says the outlook is promising as it shows that the Bari-Equipped program helps address the needs of people diagnosed with obesity and provides a sustainable option for long-term surgical success. While he believes this approach may be adopted to enhance the effectiveness of other programs and patients in need of similar educational and clinical support, he says he looks forward to realizing the full potential of this program as he strives to improve the lives of those affected by obesity.

About David Kim, MD

After receiving his medical degree from the Northeastern Ohio University College of Medicine, Dr. David Kim completed his general surgery residency at Case Western Reserve University, and his peripheral vascular surgery fellowship at Ohio State University. He has also completed fellowships in advanced laparoscopic bariatric surgery at the Medical College of Virginia and Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Kim has been named a Surgeon of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery, is certified by the American College of Surgeons, and is a member of the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.

The Live Life Again Center for Bariatric Surgery is located at 35 Veranda Lane Ste. 100, Colleyville, TX 76034, and can be reached at (817) 717-7447 for Ft. Worth patients, or (214) 614-7036 for Dallas patients. Dr. Kim and his team can also be found online at www.drdkim.net, or their Dallas Weight Loss Surgery Facebook page.