Surgery for obesity and related diseases : official journal of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery
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Surg Obes Relat Dis · Jul 2009
Patterns of readmission and reoperation within 90 days after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass.
Health insurance payors harbor concerns regarding the cost of bariatric procedures that are chiefly related to early readmissions and reoperations. We have attempted to identify the avoidable causes of readmission. ⋯ A considerable number of patients are affected by nausea, vomiting, and dehydration, abdominal pain, and wound issues <90 days postoperatively. Socioeconomic and functional status might have an effect on the rate of ED visits and readmissions. By ensuring that the appropriate outpatient mechanisms for management of these problems are available, early ED visits and readmission rates should significantly decrease.
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Surg Obes Relat Dis · Jul 2009
Expanded Occupational Safety and Health Administration 300 log as metric for bariatric patient-handling staff injuries.
Mobilization of morbidly obese patients poses significant physical challenges to healthcare providers. The purpose of this study was to examine the staff injuries associated with the patient handling of the obese, to describe a process for identifying injuries associated with their mobilization, and to report on the need for safer bariatric patient handling. ⋯ Manual mobilization of morbidly obese patients increases the risk of caregiver injury. A tracking indicator on the OSHA 300 logs for staff injury linked to a bariatric patient would provide the ability to compare obese and nonobese patient handling injuries. The E-OSHA 300 log provides a method to identify the frequency, severity, and nature of caregiver injury during mobilization of the obese. Understanding the heightened risk of injury associated with manual bariatric patient handling should help healthcare institutions identify deficiencies in their current injury prevention program and focus resources more precisely for safer, systems-based bariatric patient-handling solutions. Effective patient handling systems should also reduce the aura of fear that might be present in some caregivers when mobilizing a bariatric patient.