Changing Membership Rules for the Good Doctors’ Club
Membership rules for the Good Doctors’ Club are changing. It used to be that a doctor could neglect or disrespect patients with obesity and stay in the club. But that’s not OK anymore.
ACP Internal Medicine 2017
If you want a clue, look at what was taught in the premier scientific meeting for internal medicine physicians, ACP Internal Medicine 2017. On Saturday, Fatima Cody Stanford explained the new rules.
In caring for patients with obesity, she said, physicians must evaluate the whole person. They must consider all of the factors that affect weight. That includes diet and physical activity, of course. And, it includes much, much more. Sleep, stress, social factors, and medicines that cause weight gain are all important. But she said the most important thing is respectful care for the patient:
The most prevalent bias in health care currently is weight bias. About 60% of physicians exhibit some form of explicit bias.
I really want you to think about that as you are working with patients who struggle with weight. If patients sense that bias, they are not going to achieve beneficial outcomes. They’re going to sense you as a person who’s not going to help them achieve a healthy lifestyle. That’s really going to delay and cause worsening issues.
A Chronic Disease That Cannot Be Ignored
Obesity now affects 38% of adults. It’s driving an epidemic of chronic diseases. The list starts with diabetes. And it includes a whole host of others. It harms every major organ system.
Today, good doctors cannot ignore obesity any more than they can ignore hypertension. Untreated obesity will progress and become a train wreck for a patient’s health. In the Good Doctors’ Club, patients with obesity receive respectful, evidence-based care.
Click here for more from Healio and here for Stanford’s slides.
Town and Gown Clubhouse, photograph © Melinda Stuart / flickr
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April 3, 2017
April 03, 2017 at 8:20 am, Angela Meadows said:
“The most prevalent bias in health care currently is weight bias. About 60% of physicians exhibit some form of explicit bias.
I really want you to think about that as you are working with patients who struggle with weight. If patients sense that bias, they are not going to achieve beneficial outcomes. They’re going to sense you as a person who’s not going to help them achieve a healthy lifestyle. That’s really going to delay and cause worsening issues.”
Really? I mean I know it’s one quote out of the whole thing – but (a) everything is important, it’s not just (or even mainly) about personal behaviour; (b) if they think you don’t like them, they won’t change their personal behaviour and they’ll get sicker (and presumably fatter).
I actually had a smidgen of hope when I started reading this one. Silly me.
April 03, 2017 at 11:39 am, Ted said:
Thanks for sharing, Angela.