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Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity Management: A Case Report
Published on: May 30, 2025
A framework for physician assistant intervention for overweight and obesity.
Lawrence Herman1, John G McGinnity, Michael Doll
1Lawrence Herman is an associate professor and chair of the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at the New York Institute of Technology in Old Westbury, N.Y. He is the chair of the AAPA Overweight and Obesity Task Force. John G. McGinnity is program director and clinical associate professor at the Department of Healthcare Sciences PA Program at Wayne State University in Detroit, Mich. Michael Doll is the chief physician assistant in the cardiothoracic surgery service at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pa. Eric D. Peterson is a fellow of the Alliance for Continuing Education and a certified continuing healthcare development professional. Amanda Russell practices orthopedics at OrthoVirginia in Midlothian, Va. At the time this article was written, Joseph Largay was a clinical instructor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and practiced in the outpatient clinic of the Diabetes Care Center. He has since joined AstraZeneca as a full-time employee. Mr. Herman discloses that he is a consultant for Boehringer Ingelheim, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi Aventis. Mr. Largay discloses that he is a consultant for AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Takeda, and Vivus; and receives grants and research funding from Amylin, Andromeda, Boehringer Ingelheim, GI Dynamics, Halozyme, Hoffmann-LaRoche, Immune Tolerance Network, Jaeb Center For Health Research Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Lexicon, Lilly, Medtronic, Merck, Novo-Nordisk, Orexigen, Phase Bio, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health/National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, Sanofi Aventis, and Tolerx. The other authors disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.
Physician assistants (PAs) encounter overweight and obesity frequently. Clear definitions and efficient screening, diagnosis, and management algorithms are essential for effective PA-led treatment of this chronic disease.
Area of Science:
- Medical Science
- Public Health
- Clinical Practice
Background:
- Overweight and obesity represent a chronic disease with epidemic prevalence.
- Nearly two-thirds of patients seen by physician assistants (PAs) are affected by overweight or obesity.
- Current definitions lack actionable anthropometric and clinical descriptors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the need for improved definitions of overweight and obesity.
- To emphasize the requirement for efficient screening, diagnosis, and management processes.
- To underscore the role of PAs in managing overweight and obesity across diverse patient populations and settings.
Main Methods:
- Literature review on overweight and obesity definitions and management.
- Analysis of the role of PAs in primary care settings.
- Examination of current clinical guidelines for obesity management.
Main Results:
- Overweight and obesity are continuous chronic diseases impacting a large patient volume.
- Effective management necessitates standardized definitions and clear diagnostic and treatment algorithms.
- PAs are well-positioned to diagnose and manage overweight and obesity due to their primary care training.
Conclusions:
- Actionable definitions and streamlined management pathways are crucial for addressing the obesity epidemic.
- Physician assistants play a vital role in the continuum of care for patients with overweight and obesity.
- Integrated screening, diagnosis, and treatment protocols are essential for effective PA-led interventions.
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