News and Notes from the November 2021 Issue
John M. Morton, MD, MPH, MHA, FACS, FASMBS, ABOM, is the Clinical Editor of Bariatric Times; Vice-Chair of Quality and Division Chief of Bariatric and Minimally Invasive Surgery in the Department of Surgery at Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut.
Dear Friends and Readers,
Happy Fall! As the year winds to a close, we invite you to take a break from apple picking and holiday prep to enjoy our November issue of Bariatric Times.
To start, we have meeting highlights from the 17th annual Bariatric Summit in Washington, DC. The return to in-person events allowed for a fully on-site event, much to the excitement of everyone involved! Bariatric surgery and weight management specialists gathered at this two-day event loaded with updated surgery trends and patient care concepts. There were a variety of interesting session topics, including same-day discharge of patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery, the impact of bariatric/metabolic surgery on other comorbidities, and patient adherence to vitamin regimens and dietary guidelines.
This issue’s Raising the Standard tackles a crucial, yet sometimes overlooked, topic. “The Relation of Psychological Safety and Quality Metrics and Provider Wellness” discusses the importance of psychological safety, which is a crucial part of any professional environment, but is especially critical in the healthcare field because of its high-stress situations and uncertainty. The health of both patient and provider is at risk in a workplace with low psychological safety, as physicians can experience negative effects, such as bullying, burnout, and disruptive behaviors, and the patient can receive subpar or dangerous care.
November is National Diabetes Month, so our Medical Methods in Obesity Treatment article, titled “Treating Diabetes and Obesity: Complementary Approaches to Care,” addresses the subject of treating patients with both obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Since overweight and insulin resistance feed each other in a positive feedback loop, it is essential that physicians address both issues when treating their patients. Physicians should consider a treatment approach that alleviates both obesity and Type 2 diabetes, such as bariatric surgery, in order to best treat their patients.
Next, we have an original research article, titled “A Vicious Cycle: A History of Obesity and COVID-19,” which offers an informative look at how people with obesity face a higher risk of suffering from complications from COVID-19, such as hospitalization, intensive care management, and death. The authors explained that the inflammatory state present in patients with obesity might be a factor in increasing these risk factors. Certain cardioprotective drugs could be beneficial for preventing and managing COVID-19, but it is important that more research be done to help lower the risk of COVID-19 complications among our patients.
In addition to all that, we have Walter Pories’s Cartoon Corner, our Digital Resource Center, full of upcoming conferences for 2022, and other thought-provoking tidbits throughout the issue. Let us know if you have any feedback and, as always, we welcome submissions!
Sincerely,
John M. Morton, MD, MPH, MHA, FACS, FASMBS, ABOM
Category: Editorial Message, Past Articles
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