The Role Of Technology In Obesity Screening And Management In Primary Care

Abstract

Given its high mortality and morbidity burdens, obesity is one of the major healthcare problem worldwide. In United States, over one-third of the U.S. population are obese, whereas even more are overweight. Regulations led by the Meaningful-Use initiative succeeded to push primary care clinics to include body mass index (BMI) as a part of their electronic medical records (EMR) documentation. However, despite that, obesity was neither acknowledged nor treated as a medical condition resulting in frequent utilization of healthcare resources and suboptimal management. To understand the reasoning behind the low prevalence of obesity treatment in primary care clinics, we ought to recognize providers and system related barriers impeding obesity management. We confirmed these barriers and described differences between in-training and practicing physicians. Interestingly, while physicians perceive a lack of resources and facing above mentioned barriers, the fitness market is exploding with a vast number of electronic tools in a promise to improve health and wellness, primarily, through weight reduction and promotion of healthy diet, and exercise. We showed that in-training physicians were more optimistic about electronic medical records as a tool for obesity management. We also demonstrated that physician need to advocate for the effectiveness of wellness technology and adopt more evidence based approach. Finally, we identified a higher than previously reported prevalence of Binge eating disorders (BED) in low socioeconomic status population. In addition, we confirmed the positive correlation between BED and obesity. It is essential for primary care physicians to screen for BED in at-risk patients, particularly those with obesity. Identification of BED provides opportunity to initiate targeted counseling based on their stage and their potential for treatment success.