Impact of bariatric pre-operative education on patient knowledge and satisfaction with overall hospital experience

Obesity is a major health problem in the United States and is associated with morbidity and mortality. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 63 % of adult Americans have a Body Mass Index (BMI) in excess of 25.0 kg/m² and are considered overweight. Treatment of obesity includes diet, behavior modification, exercise, and medication therapy. However, for many people surgery is considered the most effective intervention. According to the American Society of Bariatric Surgery, about 500,000 weight reduction operations are performed annually in the United States. Bariatric surgery involves creating a stomach pouch or rerouting the small intestine; this could result in a 60-70% reduction in weight. According to a University Health Consortium benchmarking study from 2005, patient education is vital for a successful outcome for bariatric patients. Patients who pursue bariatric surgery often get information from various places, including the Internet, where the accuracy of the information is uncertain. It is our belief that structured pre-operative education classes provide a more reliable source of information for patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of structured pre-operative classes offered to bariatric patients and their families and to determine how these classes impact patients' knowledge level of the hospital experience and satisfaction with their inpatient stay. Patients attending the structured pre-op class got 85 percent of the questions on our survey correct. They also rated their satisfaction with how well they were prepared for their hospital stay very high-92 percent. Their overall satisfaction score was 88 percent.