A survey of primary care physician referral to bariatric surgery in Manitoba: access, perceptions and barriers

Background: There is an important disconnect between surgical programs and primary care physicians (PCP) in the delivery of bariatric care. The objective of this study is to assess PCP knowledge and perception of a provincial bariatric surgery program. Methods: A 32-question, IRB approved, survey was developed by bariatric surgery experts and vetted by local PCPs. A single round of paper surveys was administered to 1,000 PCPs between July and September 2015. Continuous variables were assessed by t-test and categorical variables by Chi-square test. Results: There were 131 survey responses (13.1%). Half (54.2%) of respondents did not feel equipped to counsel their patients on operative management strategies. PCPs counselled on average 11.6%+/- 17.0% of their obese patients on bariatric surgery. Many respondents (58.3%) thought excess weight loss from gastric bypass was less than 40% and most believed there was less than 50% resolution of diabetes (62.4%), hypertension (72.3%), dyslipidemia (77.8%) and obstructive sleep apnea (60.6%). PCPs who referred patients to the bariatric program (71.8%) were more comfortable counselling their patients on bariatric surgery options (56.8% vs. 17.1%, P<0.001) and were more comfortable with post-operative care (67.4% vs. 38.2%, P=0.004). Additionally, these PCPs estimated higher rates of diabetes and hypertension resolution post-bariatric surgery. The predominant perceived barrier to accessing bariatric surgery was wait times (33.3%). Conclusions: PCPs appear to underestimate the efficacy of bariatric surgery in the treatment of obesity and feel ill-equipped to counsel patients. Further education related to bariatric surgery may improve PCP comfort in counselling and long-term follow-up.