Obese Patient Treatment

Physician urges healthcare professionals to treat overweight patients compassionately.
In "The MD" column in the Los Angeles Times (12/13), Valerie Ulene, MD, a board-certified specialist in preventive medicine practicing in Los Angeles, discusses the bias many healthcare professionals have against overweight and obese patients. Some healthcare professionals "believe that obesity is caused almost exclusively by an unhealthful diet and a lack of exercise. In their minds, it's a problem that people inflict upon themselves that could be solved if patients were motivated enough." Unfortunately, "humiliating interactions with healthcare providers make many overweight patients reluctant to seek out medical care." Ulene reminds her fellow healthcare professionals that "a patient who's overweight deserves to be treated compassionately and effectively. It's not just the right thing to do, it's the best approach for successful treatment."