Patient's experience of life after weight loss surgery: Psychological adjustment

Background: Little is known about the psychological impact weight loss surgery has on people’s life.1 A recent systematic review in this area showed some persisting disordered psychosocial wellbeing after the procedure when compared to control groups, especially after longer term follow up typically beyond 4 years.2 This highlighted potential need for psychological support and more research on long term psychological wellbeing after weight loss surgery. Even clearer from the review was the lack of patient perspective on the lived experience of having weight loss surgery which left a gap in knowledge around their needs following the procedure. For that reason, it was felt generating detailed information of the postoperative weight loss surgery experience would be useful to provide health professionals evidence on this patient group’s psychological wellbeing after weight loss surgery, their stance on the need for psychological support, and if relevant, what their ideal psychological support would be. Study aim: To explore people’s long term life experiences after weight loss surgery by discussing their perceived benefits and limitations of having the procedure, and whether their expectations were realised. Methods: Ten individuals who had weight loss surgery between 2 and 6 years ago were recruited within an NHS bariatric surgery service through purposeful sampling and individually interviewed by the researcher. The semi-structured interviews were subsequently transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis

Depression in Visual Impairment Trial (DEPVIT): A Randomized Clinical Trial of Depression Treatments in People With Low Vision

Supported by Guide Dogs (Grant OR-2009 07b)