Evaluating a potential role for community pharmacists in post ‐bariatric patient nutritional support

SummaryPhysiological changes to the body from bariatric surgery necessitate lifelong vitamin and mineral supplementation to prevent potential nutritional deficiencies. Presently, there is no consensus on appropriate long ‐term follow‐up in community settings for people who have undergone bariatric surgery. Current UK guidelines recommend annual monitoring of nutritional status, but little else. Semi‐structured interviews were carried out with members of a high volume bariatric surgical unit and community pharm acists working in a variety of settings and locations. Data were collected between June and August 2018 and analysed using a thematic analytic framework. Twenty‐five participants were recruited. Bariatric staff (n = 9) reported negligible interaction with community pharmacists but felt establishin g communication and developing a potential pathway to collaborate, would provide additional support and potentially improved levels of patient compliance. Community pharmacists (n = 16) reported poor knowledge of bariatric surgery, indicating they were unable to routinely identify people who had bar iatric surgery, but understood issues with absorption of vitamins. There is evident potential to involve community pharmacists in post‐bariatric patient care pathways. Pharmacists possess knowledge of absorption and metabolism of supplements which could be used to actively support people who have had bariatric surgery in their changed physiological status. Education ought...
Source: Clinical Obesity - Category: Eating Disorders & Weight Management Authors: Tags: Original Research Article Source Type: research