EDMONTON — Obesity care in Canada will now take occupational and physical therapy into consideration, with guidelines written by a University of Alberta researcher.
Mary Forhan, chair and associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy in the U of A's Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, co-wrote a chapter in the updated Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines.
The guidelines help health care providers give the best possible assistance to patients with obesity. The most recent update was done in 2006.
This is the first time occupational and physical therapists have contributed. The chapter, "Enabling Participation in Activities of Daily Living for People Living with Obesity," is meant to help doctors understand how obesity affects people's daily lives and how that can impact their treatment.
“[The chapter] provides practical considerations to help primary care teams meet the complex needs of their patients," Forhan said in a written release. "This includes asking patients about what it is like for them to participate in their daily activities, like getting out of bed, getting dressed, bathing, moving about in the community and more.”
According to Forhan, the new guidelines better address weight bias and quality of care.
"Obesity should be viewed as a chronic health condition that requires multidisciplinary approaches that are personalized,” she said.
