PICOT: In adult patients with obesity (P), will the use of educational behavioral interventions (I) compared to no interventions (C) improve their health outcomes (O) within 10 weeks? (T)).
At present, obesity is considered not only an aesthetic problem but also primarily a chronic disease leading to the development of several serious complications. Healthcare professionals should be more involved in obesity prevention and include a variety of behavioral interventions to control and prevent obesity. Behavioral therapy can comparatively improve weight loss rates in the obese population. Significant improvements can be made in treating obesity by using an integrated approach that includes physical practices and cognitive therapy. The goal of training patients with obesity is to form and strengthen their motivation for treatment and acquire practical knowledge that contributes to moderate and gradual weight loss. Such practices lead to lifelong changes in eating habits and lifestyle and adaptation to qualitatively new living conditions.
The capstone focus of the current project is implementing behavioral education interventions to manage obesity. The education practices strive to insert in patient knowledge of self-management programs focused on diet, BMI, follow-ups, and exercise. The capstone focus reflects the two primary DNP Essentials: II and VI. The second one is “Organizational and Systems Leadership for Quality Improvement”, which is reflected in organizing the educational practices for patients’ education (All About the DNP project, 2021). The sixth is “Inter-Professional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes” (Chapman et al., 2021). It is reflected in the goal of the project to improve the health outcomes of people with obesity and decrease the risks of potentially life-threatening diseases occurrence.
The prevalence of the issue presented in the project is high. Obesity is associated with chronic diseases such as atherosclerosis, coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, and other life-threatening conditions. Therefore, the importance of solving this problem determines the patient’s quality of life. Self-control and the desire to learn good habits are significant regarding paddle loss. Patient education is one of the most critical aspects of the complex therapy of obesity, along with diet therapy, increased physical activity and drug treatment. Therefore, the topic can be defined as the importance of physiological and cognitive patient education.
To successfully achieve the set goals, it is necessary to form a training team of endocrinologists who, in addition to the training process itself, also provide the necessary individual examination and treatment plan. Patients should be motivated during the learning process to help them accept moderate, gradual, and gradual weight loss and lifelong changes in eating habits and lifestyle (Jeitler et al., 2019). The most challenging part of a weight loss program is maintaining it at the achieved level. Such a barrier can be associated with the lack of motivation among the patients when the aim of weight loss is achieved. During this period, patients especially need psychological support. Patient education plays a crucial role in achieving compliance, which allows for long-term monitoring of patient’s health while maintaining an individual approach to each. Another barrier that can be mentioned is the financial difficulties correlated with nursing training on the issue of patient education (Shiriki, 2019). Moreover, future monitoring and continuous visits during therapy increase the medical specialist s workload.
Despite the mentioned barriers, implementing the plan can contribute to positive changes in obesity treatment and prevention. It is essential to ensure that their medical interventions are delivered to the target population. The offered methods, including self-management programs focused on diet, BMI, follow-ups, and exercise, are measurable and achievable for the vast population. Such expected outcomes make this approach the most relevant for the current obesity community.
References
Chapman, B., Davis, C., Garrett, C., Grigsby, S., Kelley, C., & Shipley, R. (2021). All about the DNP project. American Nurse. Web.
Jeitler, K., Horvath, K., Semlitsch, T., Siebenhofer, A., & Stigler, F. (2019). Management of overweight and obesity in primary care—A systematic overview of international evidence‐based guidelines. Obesity Reviews, 20(9), 1218-1230. Web.
Shiriki, K. (2019). A framework for increasing equity impact in obesity prevention. American Journal of Public Health, 109(10), 1350–1357. Web.