Original articleTravel distance as factor in follow-up visit compliance in postlaparoscopic adjustable gastric banding population
Section snippets
Methods
In the present study, the data from all consecutive patients undergoing LAGB (LAP-BAND, Allergan, Irvine, CA) at Fletcher Allen Healthcare (FAHC) from November 2008 to November 2009 were prospectively entered into an electronic database. Of the 116 LAP-BANDs, 58 were the AP model and 58 were the 10-cm model. All procedures were performed by a single surgeon (P.M.F.). The patients' follow-up data were cross-referenced using their home zip code. The travel distance from their home to our clinic
Results
Table 1 lists the characteristics of the 116 patients in the cohort at baseline. Of the 116 patients, 94% were women. The average age of all patients was 46.1 years. The average initial body weight was 237.3 lb. The average body mass index was 40.2 kg/m2. The average travel distance to the clinic was 39.5 miles.
At 1 year, the average body weight was 206.2 lb. The percentage of excess weight loss was 26.6% (range −4% to 61%). The average overall follow-up attendance rate was 68%. The follow-up
Discussion
The FAHC is a university-based, 562-bed, teaching hospital serving the entire state of Vermont and northeastern New York state. FAHC offers the only minimally invasive bariatric surgery program within a 90-mile radius.
To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the question of whether the travel distance to the clinic affects follow-up appointment adherence and weight loss after LAGB. Our finding that the travel distance to the clinic in the postoperative period was not a significant
Conclusion
Many factors will determine patient compliance with postoperative follow-up after LAGB. However, the travel distance to the clinic did not seem to be a significant predictor of this in a cohort of patients in a rural setting. However, a weak relationship was found between the travel distance to the clinic and weight loss, with the patients who traveled farther seeming to lose slightly more weight.
References (6)
- et al.
Travel distance, age and sex as factors in follow-up compliance in the post-gastric bypass population
Surg Obes Relat Dis
(2005) - et al.
Adherence to outpatient program postoperative appointments after bariatric surgery
Surg Obes Relat Dis
(2008) AACE/TOS/ASMBS Bariatric Surgery Guidelines
Surg Obes Relat Dis
(2008)
Cited by (37)
10-year weight loss outcomes after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and attendance at follow-up visits: a single-center study
2022, Surgery for Obesity and Related DiseasesFive-year attrition, active enrollment, and predictors of level of participation in the Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery (LABS-2) study
2022, Surgery for Obesity and Related DiseasesCitation Excerpt :One limitation to this study is the absence of travel distance to the research assessment sites. Research in clinical bariatric surgery follow-up regarding travel distance and follow-up assessment compliance has demonstrated conflicting results [33–38]. An additional limitation may be our focus on preoperative predictors of missed assessments and attrition.
Traumatic orthopedic consultations in COVID-19 inpatients – A cross sectional analysis of results and a review of lessons in tele-orthopedics
2022, Annals of Medicine and SurgeryMeasurement of adherence in bariatric surgery: a systematic review
2018, Surgery for Obesity and Related DiseasesCitation Excerpt :In this review, appointment attendance was the most commonly studied postoperative adherence behavior, assessed in over half of the studies reviewed. There was significant variability in the operational definition of adherence that was used in studies of appointment attendance (n = 44 articles; Table 1 [8,19–62]). Twenty-four percent of studies reported appointment adherence as a frequency or percentage of appointments attended.
Improving access to bariatric surgery: Early surgical and patient-focused outcomes of a rural obesity clinic
2016, American Journal of SurgeryCitation Excerpt :Distance from the medical center was not associated with follow-up compliance. DeNino et al9 looked at gastric banding patients and concluded that distance did not influence follow-up rates within a 1-year postoperative time frame. Most patients in these studies lived within 160 km (100 miles) of the treatment center.
Preoperative predictors of adherence to multidisciplinary follow-up care postbariatric surgery
2016, Surgery for Obesity and Related DiseasesCitation Excerpt :In the present study, an overall postoperative follow-up adherence rate of 62.1% at 2 years was found. Adherence rate was comparable to rates previously reported by other groups [19–22]. Age>25 years was found to be a predictor of adherence to clinical follow-up after bariatric surgery.