Before the end of the day, about 822 people will die from an obesity related illness. In 2010, a minimum of 72 million Americans were obese. Diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health conditions are more common to those who are overweight or obese. Obesity is prevalent and costs as much as $147 billion each year in the United States. What is more startling, most patients are not advised by their providers about the hazards of obesity or how to reduce weight. Although there are evidence-based recommendations encouraging physicians to advise their patients about obesity and obesity management, research suggests that this remains inadequate. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued guidelines endorsing that healthcare practitioners guide obese patients to lose weight. This capstone project was directed towards improving condition recognition and management by improving the rate of adherence (among providers) to the best practice guidelines and reducing practice variances. The Model for Evidence-based Practice Change by June Larrabee was the evidence-based practice (EBP) framework used to carry out this project. This six-step process is used to help practitioners integrate evidence-based changes into the clinical setting. The clinic providers implemented the National Heart, Lug and Blood Institute (NHLBI) guidelines on the management of adults overweight and obesity. This evidence-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) standardized care; provided the most current and effective care practices. During pilot study, participating providers assessed and managed all patients according to the NHBLI guidelines. One hundred and thirty randomly selected charts (meeting the inclusion criteria) were audited for adherence to the guidelines. Data was collected during the implementation period for 10 weeks to measure adherence to guidelines. Outcomes focused on achieving a minumum of 50% adherence to CPG one month after implementation and 65-85% adherence thereafter. The process was then evaluated for use as standard policy and procedure. Overall, the providers improved in assessment and management of overweight and obesity adults according to the NHLBI guidelines. Fifty-Six percent 56% of the patients were assessed and managed according to standards set by NHLBI overweight and obesity guideline. Most patients received near goal weight-related assessment but less than half of the patient receive moderate level advice regarding management. As a major health issue in the United States, being overweight or obese has a toxic effect on the quality of life for families and healthcare cost for all. Research suggests that evidence-based interventions are ideal for addressing obesity and facilitating improved outcomes. Little research has evaluated the procedure for successful implementation of these interventions into outpatient clinical practice. This capstone project is a step towards future research on applying guidelines in small outpatient clinical settings where funding is not supported by large hospital networks.
