Abstract
Although psychological evaluations are a routine component of the bariatric surgery process, the goals commonly identified for bariatric psychological evaluations have not been realized. This brief report describes a revised bariatric psychological evaluation designed to repurpose the evaluation towards more achievable and equally valuable goals. Changes include revisions to the evaluation contents and administration methods. The revised evaluation: (1) includes pre- and post-bariatric psychological assessments to capture important surgery-related changes in psychosocial status, physical functioning, and quality of life; (2) incorporates measures of functional capacity, treatment adherence, and patient-centered goals; (3) improves clinical utility by using the post-surgery assessment data to identify patients who may benefit from psychosocial interventions; (4) expands opportunities for bariatric psychology research.
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Thomas Rutledge, Jenna K. Ellison, and Amanda S. Phillips declare that they have no conflict of interest.
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Rutledge, T., Ellison, J.K. & Phillips, A.S. Revising the bariatric psychological evaluation to improve clinical and research utility. J Behav Med 43, 660–665 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-019-00060-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-019-00060-1