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Although obesity has been shown to be a risk factor for numerous diseases such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, and sleep apnea, most overweight and obese people do not consider themselves at higher risk for medical problems or premature death. News stories on various diets have caused confusion among many patients and health providers, leading to frustration and subsequent inaction. This course will help educate physicians and other healthcare professionals about the epidemiology and treatment of overweight and obese patients. Using current national guidelines, the clinical management of patients will be discussed. Clinical presentation, diagnosis, behavioral, and pharmacologic management will be reviewed. Surgical options for morbidly obese patients will also be examined. Steps to address and treat recidivism will be explored. Finally, current reimbursement issues will be discussed.
This introductory course is designed for psychologists involved in the care of patients who are overweight or obese.
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
NetCE designates this continuing education activity for 5 credit(s).
Obesity is epidemic in the United States. As statistics indicate that the problem is growing, the purpose of this course is to educate healthcare professionals about the epidemiology and treatment of overweight and obese patients. Clinical management, presentation, diagnosis, and behavioral and medical management will be reviewed to assist psychologists in encouraging their patients to lose weight and prevent obesity-related comorbidities.
Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Discuss the clinical background of obesity, noting the various definitions.
- Discuss the epidemiology of overweight and obese individuals in the United States, based on age, race, and socioeconomic status.
- Describe the pathophysiology of obesity, including genetic and environmental factors.
- Identify the risk factors for and comorbidities of obesity.
- Explain the various treatment modalities for overweight/obese patients.
- Describe dietary and physical activity recommendations.
- Discuss available pharmacologic agents, including indications and adverse reactions, used to treat obese/overweight patients.
- Discuss surgical options, including restriction and bypass operations.
- Outline considerations necessary when caring for patients for whom English is a second language.
John J. Whyte, MD, MPH, is currently the Chief Medical Officer at WebMD. In this role, he leads efforts to develop and expand strategic partnerships that create meaningful change around important and timely public health issues. Previously, Dr. Whyte was the Director of Professional Affairs and Stakeholder Engagement at the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research and the Chief Medical Expert and Vice President, Health and Medical Education at Discovery Channel, part of the media conglomerate Discovery Communications.
Prior to this, Dr. Whyte was in the Immediate Office of the Director at the Agency for Healthcare Research Quality. He served as Medical Advisor/Director of the Council on Private Sector Initiatives to Improve the Safety, Security, and Quality of Healthcare. Prior to this assignment, Dr. Whyte was the Acting Director, Division of Medical Items and Devices in the Coverage and Analysis Group in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). CMS is the federal agency responsible for administering the Medicare and Medicaid programs. In his role at CMS, Dr.Whyte made recommendations as to whether or not the Medicare program should pay for certain procedures, equipment, or services. His division was responsible for durable medical equipment, orthotics/prosthetics, drugs/biologics/therapeutics, medical items, laboratory tests, and non-implantable devices. As Division Director as well as Medical Officer/Senior Advisor, Dr. Whyte was responsible for more national coverage decisions than any other CMS staff.
Dr. Whyte is a board-certified internist. He completed an internal medicine residency at Duke University Medical Center as well as earned a Master’s of Public Health (MPH) in Health Policy and Management at Harvard University School of Public Health. Prior to arriving in Washington, Dr. Whyte was a health services research fellow at Stanford and attending physician in the Department of Medicine. He has written extensively in the medical and lay press on health policy issues.
Contributing faculty, John J. Whyte, MD, MPH, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Margaret Donohue, PhD
The division planner has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
Sarah Campbell
The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.
The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.
Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.
It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.
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The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.
Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.