Patient-centered weight management is tailored, personalized care.
It’s what I’ve been practicing, teaching and researching for over 4 decades.
It’s also the title of my new book, Patient-Centered Weight Management, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
This book is an extension of my passionate desire to educate clinicians on improving the lives of those living with overweight and obesity.
With the rising obesity epidemic and the changing field of obesity medicine, the need is greater than ever for clinicians to become more skilled in providing patient-centered weight management.
Here are some tips for best practices:
1- Words Matter
Establishing a trustful therapeutic relationship begins with using respectful and nonjudgemental language.
Asking for permission to talk about one’s weight is imperative.
You can say: “Is this a good time to talk about your weight?” or “Are you concerned about your weight?” These inquiring phrases address readiness and patient autonomy.
It is also important to use people first language when talking about weight and not to label patients by their disease.
Asking “How long have you lived with obesity” is preferable to “How long have you been obese?”
2- The Type of Visit Matters
Too often a conversation about obesity management is relegated to the last few minutes of a patient encounter.
A preferred approach is to SCHEDULE A WEIGHT MANAGEMENT FOCUSED VISIT where sufficient time is spent taking an obesity-focused history, assessing patient goals and preferences, and discussing treatment options.
Patients can also prepare for the visit by tracking their diet and physical activity, and checking their insurance for medication coverage.
3-Targeted Treatment Tools Matter
I learned long ago that generic weight loss advice doesn’t work well for most people.
That’s because managing weight is personal, influenced by each person’s likes and dislikes, lifestyle behaviors, health goals, resources and personal challenges.
But how to provide targeted treatment within your busy practice?
That’s the subject of my new book, Patient-Centered Weight Management: The Six Factor Professional Program and Toolkit.
Having practical resources readily available to meet patients’ needs is important when providing targeted lifestyle modification counseling.
Individuals struggling with weight and looking for a patient-centered weight management program that fits their lifestyle, can check out my book, Six Factors to Fit: Weight Loss that Works for You!
RK
Robert Kushner, MD
