What to Look for in a Bariatric Surgeon or Clinic

In everyday life, we are constantly bombarded with different choices we have to make. From something as simple as where to buy your morning coffee, right through to where to send your children to school, we want to make sure we are making the right choice.

If you’ve decided that bariatric surgery is the solution to help you to live a healthier, longer life, you’ve probably started considering choices already. For example, what procedure do you think is going to be best suited to you? You may not be sure exactly where you want that surgery to take place or the bariatric surgeon that should perform the procedure.

With over 20 years of bariatric surgery experience, no one in Australia has done more gastric sleeve or bypass procedures for longer than Upper GI Surgery. We’ve treated over 5,000 patients since our first gastric bypass in 2003, so we have a pretty good idea of what you should be looking out for in a surgeon or a clinic.

Results

This may be the first thing you suggest when asked what’s important to you. You want a surgeon or a clinic that is going to get you the weight loss results that you want. Results don’t just come from bariatric surgery alone but are a joint effort between the patient and their support team.

You need to look for a surgeon or clinic that helps you to achieve results, not just perform the surgery. Bariatric surgery is the beginning of a long journey to permanently changing unhealthy habits and patterns, lifelong changes to diet (eating to live, not living to eat) and lifestyle. Without the support of an experienced team to guide you on this journey, you are more likely to fail.

Make sure that your surgeon or clinic will support you, and have the experience doing so, during the crucial weeks/months/years following your surgery. Not all clinics have a full support team of nurses, dietitian, psychologist, admin staff, bariatric care specialist and surgeons like UGIS.

Volume, Outcomes & Safety

Volume refers to the number of times a hospital has done a specific surgical procedure during a defined period of time. Why is this important? Because surgeons and hospitals that do more of a specific surgery will have better outcomes for their patients.

When considering a surgeon or clinic for your bariatric surgery, it is important to find out how long they have been performing the recommended surgical procedure, whether that be a gastric sleeve or a bypass, and how often they perform the surgery. This will tell you a lot about their experience and help to determine the chances of a positive outcome. Safety should be your first priority, as bariatric surgery is still major surgery that carries many risks.

At Upper GI Surgery we specialise in bariatric surgery, and each year are a Leading Contributor to the Bariatric Surgery Registry (BSR), demonstrating the volume of procedures that our clinic performs. Our safety record is twice that of the Australian or New Zealand average.

Are They A Good Fit

You also want to consider if the surgeon or clinic is a good fit for you. Do they talk in a language that you can understand, or do you feel left in the dark not understanding medical jargon? Are they able to answer any questions you may have, and present resources of information for you to digest and consider before making any important decisions?

Communication with your medical team before, during and after your surgery is important to ensure that you are always informed, every step of the journey. By meeting your specialist or surgeon for an appointment to discuss your options, you will be able to gauge whether they are somebody that you feel comfortable and confident in for the duration of your care.

You can watch short videos from the specialists and surgeons here at UGIS, to give you an idea of how we communicate with patients day to day.

If you’re considering bariatric surgery and would like to meet one of the UGIS surgeons or the bariatric care specialist to discuss your options and get a feel for the team and clinic that we have built over the last 20 years, we would love to hear from you, contact us.

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