SECONDARY ANALYSIS OF THE EFFECTS OF MOBILITY ON BARIATRIC PATIENTS HAVING WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY

Abstract

Mobility typically becomes an issue in the elderly, people with injuries and severely obese individuals. Severely obese, bariatric patients were the focus of a study conducted by Roberson, Neil, Pories, & Rose (2016). A qualitative study was done using 24 patients to determine their reasons for seeking bariatric surgery. This qualitative descriptive secondary analysis was conducted using data from the original study and focused on the issues of mobility that were contained in the interviews as stated by each participant. Colaizzi’s procedural steps of qualitative analysis was used for data analysis and four main themes were identified. The findings showed that lack of mobility impacts a patient’s ability to exercise before weight loss surgery, and their lifestyle habits overall were altered. This impacts the field of nursing since the participants are a sample of the bariatric surgical patient population who can be found in a multitude of healthcare facilities throughout the nation. Nurses should be able to safely help patients move by including the use of specialty equipment based on their reported mobility level.