San Antonio — Despite the prevalence of obesity in primary care, there appear to be major knowledge gaps among providers regarding obesity management, new research suggests.
Anonymous surveys of 96 primary care providers at a Boston, Massachusetts, safety net hospital revealed that participants had limited understanding of criteria for prescribing antiobesity medications (AOM), and expressed discomfort in prescribing AOMs due to knowledge concerns, especially for non–glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists. One third reported that they didn’t prescribe AOMs, and rates of referral for bariatric surgery were also low.
The findings were presented at the Obesity Society’s annual Obesity Week meeting by Alejandro Campos, MD, a third-year resident in the section of internal medicine, Boston Medical Center, and the Department of Medicine, Boston University, Boston.
“I think it comes down to education… Not only training primary care physicians or residents about criteria and pathophysiology, but also stigma. Perceptions need to be addressed from the start of training in the healthcare field,” Campos told Medscape Medical News in an interview.
During his presentation, Campos noted this is the first such study in the setting of a safety-net hospital, which cares for lower-income people who experience disproportionate rates of obesity. But, “these findings are similar to ones observed from non–safety-net settings, which can indicate some potential transferability.”
Asked to comment, session moderator John D. Clark, MD, PhD, Chief Population Health Officer at Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group, San Diego, California, tol
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