Psychological aspects of delivering nursing care to the bariatric patient

The purpose of this article is to discuss the physical and emotional challenges in caring for the bariatric patient and the potential biases that may complicate that process. Issues regarding fat biases, physiological and psychological components of eating, as well as nursing-patient dynamics are discussed. The intention is to show how societal pressures, personal struggles with weight, and misperceptions regarding the obese combine to subtly influence our thinking, attitudes, and subsequent behaviors. Providing a better understanding of this interplay may create more empathy for both nurses and the morbidly obese and facilitate a more comfortable atmosphere of caring for both.