Outpatient Clinic in Obesity Care During COVID-19 Outbreak: Physically Far, Virtually Near
Outpatient Clinic in Obesity Care During COVID-19 Outbreak: Physically Far, Virtually Near
Bariatric patients represent a peculiar and frail subset of subjects, constantly increasing.
 During the novel coronavirus disease outbreak, for the lockdown of any non-urgent and
 non-oncological activity, the access to healthcare services was severely limited, according
 to the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders.
The constant and strict follow-up is mandatory in this special subset of patients. Therefore,
 starting from the telemedicine experience in different medical fields, in our bariatric
 surgery division we designed and started a dedicated project to follow-up obese patients
 using remote counselling.
Inclusion criteria:

 -  obese adults (> 18 years of age, BMI> 40 or > 35 with comorbidities) older than 18
 years

 -  patients undergoing bariatric surgery within 6 months

 -  patients who required clinical and instrumental control

 -  presence of a caregiver in case of subject with cognitive impairment; patients with a
 history of bariatric surgery who requested a first outpatients access or established
 patients who requested an outpatients' visit for an emerging problem.

 Exclusion criteria:

 -  virtual visit decline

 -  the internet or smart devices unavailability

 -  need for physical examination or radiological investigations established during a
 preliminary contact by phone.