Bariatric surgery is a safe and highly effective option for treating the disease of morbid obesity. Given that the numbers of morbidly obese adults exceed one in twenty in the United States, bariatric surgery is no longer an uncommon surgical procedure and will likely continue to become increasingly common. Therefore, it is imperative that nursing programs prepare prelicensure students to deliver high-quality, competent care to bariatric surgical patients. These patients have complex collaborative care needs that can be best taught utilizing an active learning format, such as the case study format. This article presents an exemplar case study that can be used to teach nursing students about the unique needs of the bariatric surgical patient. The pre-operative, peri-operative, post-operative, and continuing care needs of the bariatric surgical patient are addressed using a nursing process framework and critical thinking exercises.
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