Obese may not get optimal care

EDMONTON, Alberta, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- A Canadian researcher said physicians need to learn how to provide overweight and obese patients with optimal care and advice.

In an article published in the journal Canadian Family Physician, University of Alberta researcher Tim Caulfield said physicians in North America have a legal obligation to provide their patients with a reasonable standard of care.

By law, overweight and obese patients are entitled to the same level of care as the general public; however, there are reasons to believe this patient population is not, in some circumstances, receiving optimal care and advice, Caulfield said.

"Family physicians play a crucial role in identifying and managing obesity," Caulfield said in a statement. "As the rates of obesity become more prevalent, we need to recognize and become aware of the issues that can reduce liability and improve the care of these patients."

Earlier studies showed 83 percent physicians were less likely to perform physical examinations on reluctant obese patients, while another study found 25 percent of physicians think that they aren't at all or only slightly competent recommending treatment for obese patients.