Patient autonomy and metabolic bariatric surgery: an empirical perspective

Metabolic Bariatric Surgery (MBS) has gained significant popularity over the past decade. Legally and ethically, physicians should obtain the patient's voluntary and informed consent before proceeding with the surgery. However, the decision to undergo MBS is often influenced by external factors, prompting questions about their impact on the patient's ability to choose voluntarily. In addressing this issue, the study focuses on two key questions: first, which factors influence MBS candidates during the decision-making process, and second, whether these influences undermine the candidates' ability to make decisions voluntarily, according to theories of autonomy.

The study employed a qualitative methodology, conducting 21 in-depth semi-structured interviews with adults who had undergone bariatric surgery. The conclusions were drawn from an inductive analysis of the interview data conducted using a grounded theory approach, and by applying theories of autonomy to the empirical findings.

Our study indicates that interviewees were exposed to different external influences, which had diverse effects on the interviewees' decision to undergo MBS. Category 1 influences included intentional attempts to induce people, through arguments and reason, to accept the attitudes advocated by the persuader in support of the surgery. Applying theoretical accounts of autonomy to these influences suggests that they did not compromise the interviewees' autonomy. Category 2 influences included threats made by a physician or a family member. These influences were found to undermine autonomy. Category 3 influences included emotional manipulation, informational manipulation, and the construction of medical and social norms. Manipulations and norms were experienced differently by different interviewees, and their impact on autonomy varies depending on the theoretical framework applied.

Acknowledging that the influences exerted on MBS candidates may undermine their ability to make autonomous decisions regarding surgery, we suggest reformulating the duties that apply to medical practitioners with respect to informed consent to MBS. Medical practitioners who discuss the option of MBS with candidates should be aware of the various factors that influence this choice, and actively promote the candidates' ability to make autonomous decisions.