Overweight patients 'dying because NHS is poorly prepared for obesity epidemic'

Overweight patients have died or suffered lasting harm because the NHS is ‘poorly prepared’ to deal with the rise in obesity, a report warns.
It reveals that some obese patients have been the victims of surgical errors and poor assessment of their needs, as well as a lack of staff and equipment to care for them safely.
Bigger trolleys, beds and wheelchairs are needed – with more than half of women and almost two-thirds of men likely to be obese by 2050, according to official estimates.

Epidemic: More staff and better training are essential as obese patients can be unintentionally harmed during surgery

More staff and better training are essential as obese patients can be unintentionally harmed during surgery and may be prescribed insufficient drugs because their weight is not being taken into account, says a report published online in the Postgraduate Medical Journal, which is based on data reported to the National Patient Safety Agency.

 

Doctors from Central Manchester University Hospitals analysed all incident reports relating to obesity over a period of three years from 2005 to 2008 to identify any common themes.
Altogether, 555 patient safety incidents were reported, of which 389 related to obesity, including 148 incidents related to its assessment, diagnosis or treatment.

Warning: The NHS is 'poorly prepared' to deal with the rise in obesity

More than one in ten incidents was classified as causing moderate harm to obese patients, with four suffering severe harm and three dying.
Around 63 incidents were associated with anaesthesia, such as difficulty in being able to ventilate a patient or clear their airway, with some patients being deprived of oxygen as a result.
There were 27 incidents involving critical care, most of which were pressure sores, while surgical errors included haemorrhage, unintended damage to organs surrounding the operation site and deep vein thrombosis.
Most incidents involved equipment not being able to take the weight of obese patients, with specially adapted apparatus either not available or normal equipment not working properly under the circumstances.
In 27 instances there were too few staff available to move an obese patient safely.
Lead researcher Dr John Moore said: ‘The occurrence of incidents resulting in severe harm or death highlights the specific dangers associated with the care of the obese patient.
‘Further planning and development of operation policies is needed to ensure the safe delivery of healthcare to patients.’