Patient Reported Outcomes 10 years After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

BACKGROUND: Following weight-loss surgery, patients who failed to achieve or sustain weight loss have nevertheless reported high satisfaction with their long-term bariatric experience. Understanding this phenomenon better will likely improve patients' experiences.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to explore patients' long-term experiences following bariatric surgery.

SETTING: A 604-bed academic health system in the USA.

METHODS: Participants rated satisfaction and shared spontaneous comments regarding their gastric bypass experience. A phenomenological mode of inquiry explored participants' experiences. Transcribed phrases were categorized and themes identified.

RESULTS: In a 2004 surgical cohort, with 55% (155/281) participation, 99% of participants rated bariatric experience satisfaction (mean score 8.4) and 74% (115/155) shared comments regarding experiences. Responses were categorized as positive (63% 72/115), neutral (25% 29/115), or negative (12% 14/115). Satisfaction, Appreciation, and Gratefulness emerged as themes from positive comments, with 8% (6/72) explicitly acknowledging amount of weight loss achieved. Twenty-five percent (18/72) spontaneously mentioned undergoing surgery again or recommending the procedure to others. Neutral comments contained the themes of Reflection, Acknowledgment, and Wistfulness. Themes of Dissatisfaction, Disappointment, and Regret emerged from negative comments. Forty-three percent (6/14) of negative comments remarked on regaining weight or not reaching goal weight. Twenty-one percent (3/14) of negative comments explicitly stated regret at having undergone surgery.

CONCLUSIONS: Participants readily shared comments regarding their gastric bypass experience. Exploring themes provided insight into patients' satisfaction with bariatric surgery even when weight-loss goals were not met and conversely substantial dissatisfaction even when weight loss occurred. This study underscores the importance of understanding the patients' long-term experience following bariatric surgery.