Title: Bariatric Patients and Occupational Therapy: Bridging the Gap in Acute Care 

Author:
Jamie C. Drow, MS, OTR/L
Claire Dolislager, DrOT, OTR/L, OTR/L, CLT-LANA

JACOT Volume 6, Issue 2

Abstract

Background
Acute care occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) need to be prepared to meet the unique needs of hospitalized bariatric patients. The authors developed and evaluated if an in-person educational event on bariatrics would yield in knowledge translation (KT) of applicable skills that could be implemented into current practice.
Methods
A 6-hour in-person educational event with a bariatric simulation suit, bariatric model patient, and bariatric equipment was developed for acute care OTPs. Participants completed pre-/post event surveys and a 2-month follow-up survey to evaluate the event’s effectiveness of knowledge translation into participants’ current acute care hospitals.
Results
In-person education demonstrated a statistically significant increase in agreement (p<0.05) to four statements regarding effective care of bariatric patients. Two months following the event, 85% of participants that responded reported being able to translate the knowledge learned directly into current practice.
Discussion
In-person, hands-on learning on bariatric patient care was effective for acute care OTPs to be able to provide treatment, educate colleagues, advocate for bariatric equipment, and mitigate bias. Results suggest that similar in-person education would be beneficial to fill a large knowledge gap and has the potential to produce successful outcomes for future bariatric patient care within the acute care setting.