Assessing service provision and outcomes at the Canberra Obesity Management Service: A retrospective chart review

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the multidisciplinary care model of the Canberra Obesity Management Service (COMS) with regard to patient demographics and clinical outcomes, particularly in comparison with previous COMS outcome reviews. Methods A retrospective chart review was carried out on all patients attending an initial assessment at COMS between July 2018 and June 2019. Existing patients attending follow‐up reviews were excluded so as to avoid repeating analyses of data from previous COMS reviews. Patient data were recorded and deidentified and underwent descriptive analyses. Results A total of 234 patients with a mean age of 45.6 (SD = 13.9) years, mean BMI of 50.1 kg/m2 (SD = 8.5), and a female majority (72.2%) were analyzed. Of the 165 patients who attended follow‐up appointments, 27.9% experienced ≥10% weight loss (46/165). Sleeve gastrectomy was associated with the largest mean weight reduction (15.6% at 6 months [n = 18]). Conclusions Compared with previous COMS studies, both the throughput and proportion of participants achieving clinically meaningful weight reduction were observed to have increased. Further studies assessing service cost‐effectiveness, the development of standardized treatment pathways, and the use of a systematic data collection system would be valuable in allowing comparison between outcomes with similar obesity services in Australia and internationally.