In the UK, there were approximately 900,000 obesity related hospital admissions from 2018 to 2019. Mary Muir provides a comprehensive guide to the safe management and transportation of plus sized patients throughout their care pathway
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) there are now more than 1.9 billion adults aged 18 and over that are overweight,1 with 650 million people recorded as obese2 (approximately 13% of the world’s adult population),3 with 2.8 million dying every year due to being overweight or obese.4
In the UK, there were around 900,000 obesity related hospital admissions in 2018 to 20195, costing the NHS an estimated £6.1 billion6 and, by 2034, approximately 70% of adults will be overweight or obese.7 Furthermore, Public Health England links obesity to increased risks of coronavirus-related hospitalisation, intensive care and death.8
Caring for overweight or obese people is a key element for today’s health and social care providers9, placing considerable pressure on available resources,10,11 The route to delivering patient centred care and risk mitigation begins by predicting the challenges in all stages of the care process and preparing for them, considering the patient profile, building design, equipment, furniture and communication, as well as organisational and staff issues.
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