David Sarwer, PhD, director of clinical services at the center for weight and eating disorders, explains the importance of psychological evaluations before bariatric surgery.
When considering weight loss surgery, many people wonder why they need
a pre-surgical psychological evaluation. It is a good question with several answers. Psychological evaluations have become a routine part of pre-surgical care. In 1991, the National Institutes of Health recommended psychological examinations prior to bariatric surgery when the health care team was concerned about a patient’s readiness to make the necessary lifestyle changes after bariatric surgery.
Over the past 10 years, organizations such as the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery have strongly supported pre-surgical psychological evaluations and extended the recommendation to all bariatric surgery candidates. Today, nearly all insurance companies recognize the value of pre-surgical psychological evaluations and require them for all potential candidates as a part of the preoperative approval process.
The Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery team believes that a psychological evaluation before bariatric surgery is critical to improve patients’ post-surgical success. The evaluation is an opportunity to identify motivations, address psychological challenges that may contribute to a person’s obesity or impact preparedness for surgery and arrange for appropriate follow-up support. It is not designed to be a barrier to surgery.
The Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program is committed to providing the highest quality care to help patients reach their weight loss goals. As part of that mission, the pre-surgical psychological evaluation allows the health care team to optimize individuals’ chance for long-term weight loss success.
- David Sarwer, PhD
- For more information, visit the the Stunkard Weight Management Program website
- For more information, visit the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders website
- Learn more about Dr. Sarwer
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