Understanding bariatric patients' experiences of <scp>self‐management post‐surgery</scp>: A qualitative study
Alaa Youssef, Maria Mylopoulos, Robert Maunder, David Wiljer, Stephanie E. Cassin, Susan Wnuk, Samantha Leung, Sanjeev Sockalingam
Abstract
Although most bariatric patients achieve significant weight loss and improvements in both physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in the short-term, there is wide variability in weight and long-term HRQoL outcomes. The role of bariatric patients' self-management style in explaining variability in long-term outcomes is unclear. This qualitative study examined bariatric patients' self-management experiences after bariatric surgery in relation to long-term outcomes. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured individual interviews with post-surgery patients (n = 23) at a Canadian bariatric surgery program. A constant comparative approach was used to systematically analyse the data and identify overarching themes. Variation in patients' experiences and follow-up time were the two primary units of analysis. Patients were predominantly female (n = 19; 82.6%) and had a mean age of 50 ± 8.49 years. The median time post-surgery was 2 years (range: 6 months-7 years). Three distinct phases described the process of self-management post-bariatric surgery: (1) rediscovering self-esteem and confidence in one's ability to self-manage (1-month to 1.5-years post-surgery), (2) achieving weight maintenance and addressing emotion dysregulation (1.5-3-years post-surgery) and (3) embracing a flexible balanced lifestyle (beyond 3-years). Bariatric surgery patients experience distinct challenges relative to their post-surgery time course. Facilitating access to interprofessional bariatric care after surgery allowed patients to acquire the self-management knowledge and skills necessary to address challenges to following the bariatric guidelines in the long-term.