The book is needed for several reasons. Bariatric surgery is one of the most clinically effective and cost effective services in any field of medicine, and is growing in popularity, and the non-specialist family practitioner, allied health professional and pharmacist need to know exactly what it involves. Bariatric surgery is in everyone’s interest – whether medic or patient, as it offers improvement in diabetes, heart disease, sleep apnoea, fatty liver and many cancers, whilst reducing benefits, housing costs and the general burden on the economy.
There is a lot of flawed thinking on surgery in primary care, with only a minority of family practitioner specialists making the majority of referrals, whilst many are denying their patients access because of their own misconceived ideas. A ‘back to basics’ book will help tackle the negative views surrounding the topic, and improve the volume and quality of referrals. Very often patients turning up to obesity centres have been given poor advice, and inappropriate treatment, and arrive with little or no idea what to expect.
Many medics prioritise other conditions first, overlooking the underlying cause, i.e. obesity. Basic education on obesity and co-morbidities is fast becoming essential.
David Haslam was a GP with a special interest in obesity and cardiometabolic disease, Physician in Obesity Medicine at the Centre for Obesity Research at Luton & Dunstable Hospital; Visiting Professor at the Robert Gordon University Aberdeen, and Visiting Professor at Chester University. He contributed to formulating the guidelines for adult obesity management in primary care and produced the first Primary Care guidelines for management of childhood obesity with the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health.
Aseem Malhotra, NHS consultant cardiologist is based at the ROC Private Clinic, London. Dr Malhotra graduated with a degree in medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 2001. Diagnosing, preventing, and managing heart disease, his areas of expertise include evidence based medicine, collaborative shared decision-making with patients, obesity, coronary artery disease, preventive cardiology, and angina.
Matt Capehorn founded and is a Clinical Manager and GPwSI at the Rotherham Institute for Obesity (RIO). RIO is a part of the award-winning NHS Rotherham Weight Management Strategy that won the 2009 NHS Health and Social Care Award for best commissioned service. Doctor Capehorn has been active on several local, regional and national advisory boards and regularly speaks at meetings to healthcare professionals, encouraging weight management services.
