Adherence to a Follow-Up Program Is Improving Weight Loss

• Published in: Bariatric surgical practice and patient care Vol. 12; no. 4; pp. 173 - 177
• Main Authors: Elrefai, Mohamad, Hasenberg, Till, Vassilev, Georgi, Otto, Mirko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Rochelle Mary Ann Liebert, Inc 01.12.2017
• Subjects: Gastrointestinal surgery; Patients; Questionnaires; Germany
• ISSN: 2168-023X; 2168-0248
• DOI: 10.1089/bari.2017.0019

Background/Aim of Study: Identifying the effect of adherence to a routine postoperative follow-up program on weight loss after surgery. Methods: Eighty-six patients who underwent a bariatric procedure were included. According to their compliance to follow-up visits, patients were classified into two groups: the Drop-Out group (patients who did not attend the follow-up appointments n = 45) and regular follow-up group (patients compliant with their scheduled postoperative appointments n = 41). Both groups were compared in terms of weight loss at four fixed time points: time of operation (T0), next to last (T1), last follow-up appointments (T2), and time of interview (T3). Results: Weight decreased in the time interval between T0 and T2 without a significant difference between both groups. A significant difference, however, was observed during the time interval T2 to T3, as weight continued to decrease among the regular follow-up patients versus a rise within the Drop-Outs patients (62.7 ± 24.1% vs. 49.9 ± 22.9%; p = 0.014). Conclusion: Adherence to a follow-up program is crucial to improve and sustain weight loss.