By Charles Lefebvre

Hospital being used to test bariatric-friendly care initiatives

Jan 30, 2019 | 1:28 PM

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The Medicine Hat Regional Hospital is being used as the site of a pilot project aimed at improving bariatric care needs.

On Wednesday, the hospital hosted a public event of the Bariatric-Friendly Hospital Initiative, answering questions about bariatric care and showing off new equipment at the hospital specifically for that need.

“We are a test site for the hope that these projects will be spread across all of the facilities in Alberta,” said Maureen Fowler, occupational therapist and Medicine Hat team lead for the initiative with Alberta Health Services.

Bariatric care, according to Fowler, refers to needs for patients who weigh more than 250 pounds, who may require specialized equipment and care. It has been identified as a need in recent years in Alberta.

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According to AHS, approximately 29 per cent of adults in Alberta are obese. Fowler says if they’re admitted to the hospital, there is a possibility the patients will be unable to receive proper care and treatment.

“They tend to be in hospital longer, and sometimes face some challenge due to facility design, lack of equipment, lack of proper training, as well as the experience of weight bias and stigmatization,” she said.

Training staff to recognize weight bias is part of the initiative.

“We all carry biases, based on our personal experiences, on our upbringing, on the information that we receive from around us,” said Fowler. “Health care providers are not immune to that either. Weight bias is something that we know shows up with our attitudes and beliefs, so by drawing attention to what we know and what we believe around things such as obesity, it helps us to recognize that, and to identify if that may become a barrier into how we provide good quality health care.”

The Medicine Hat and District Health Foundation has also purchased equipment to help patients, which were on display on Wednesday. These include a new bed that support 1,000 pounds and contain electric lifts, as well as new wheelchairs.

“For the most part, the equipment in the hospital we have for everyday use is generally rated for a body weight of 250 pounds,” said Fowler. “Some of the challenges is making sure the equipment that is used for the care in the hospital is appropriate for the body size. This is also for our providers, so making sure our health care providers feel safe and confident to help people with a larger body weight to be moved in the hospital, to help them ambulate, to help them transfer, to have access to wheelchairs, commodes, bedpans, lifts that will meet their body weights.”

Fowler says the goal is to ensure all patients can receive proper care in Alberta.

“We need to meet the needs of people of all different sizes without bias, and with good quality healthcare,” she said.