In 2016, the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, an official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), published a study comparing workers’ compensation costs and outcomes for obese, overweight, and normal-weight workers. The study found that for workers with major injuries, costs averaged about $470,000 for obese and $270,000 for overweight workers, compared to $180,000 for normal-weight workers. Now, as nurse case managers, our work is purely focused on the recovery and rehabilitation of the injured individual, but the financial data clearly demonstrates that weight can have a profound impact on the time and resources needed for the injured worker’s recovery.
As nurse case managers, our approach to evaluating patients is very holistic, and we review all their diagnoses and comorbidities at the initial evaluation (meeting). In the patient’s initial meeting, comorbidities regarding weight are evaluated when taking the patient’s height, weight, and assessing their BMI. Obesity occurs when a BMI is over 30. When a nurse case manager is first meeting a patient addressing comorbidities is a very delicate discussion. Often, the conversation regarding their weight status is approached throughout the patient’s treatment plan as the treatment plan is an ever-evolving process, and evaluation of their response to the treatment is also evolving. With today’s typical lifestyles, patients’ weight can vary from being within normal BMI ranges to overweight, or the patient can be obese. Visual evaluation of the patient is usually sufficient to identify the patient’s BMI.
The diagnosis of obesity is a significant diagnosis in which we often do not see the ramifications until it’s become the standard in our life. While many people are obese but do not have any other health issues, the extra weight will eventually take a toll on their bodies and deteriorate other systems. For case management of work-related injuries, chronic illness, congenital or developmental issues, the diagnosis of obesity further complicates existing diagnoses – recoveries are delayed, and complications can occur.
Because the nurse case manager’s work is holistic, we cannot ignore the diagnosis of obesity, regardless of the work injury. We need to address it and assist in determining ways the patient can resolve this issue while we are also working on treating the primary diagnosis.