Results of ABOM Foundation-Funded Obesity Medicine Educational Research Published
In Obesity Pillars, Dr. Marci Laudenslager from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine led a research team that conducted a prospective study evaluating the impact of an online obesity care curriculum on resident physicians’ obesity care self-efficacy (i.e., confidence in managing obesity) and frequency of self-reported clinical practice habits. The team first completed a targeted needs assessment to inform the development of the obesity care curriculum, which included 11 core e-modules. The study recruited 45 residents from several medical specialties including internal medicine, family medicine, preventive medicine and internal medicine-pediatrics programs.
Residents significantly increased self-efficacy and frequency of clinical practice habits across multiple obesity care domains — the largest increases in frequency were in behavioral counseling, discussing obesity medications, discussing metabolic-bariatric surgery, and referring to weight management programs.
The team also found that the curriculum was effective when delivered as a standalone experience as well as when integrated within a 10-day obesity medicine elective experience. Interestingly, over 80% of residents reported that the curriculum increased their interest in pursuing further training in obesity medicine.