Better Prepared Than Surprised: A Call to Routinize Preparedness - Essentials of Pre- and Post-Operative Counselling...

To date, the essentials of pre- and post-operative counselling on psychological challenges after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) remain ill defined. The current review explored the literature as to why proactive preparedness is critical in bariatric care, focusing on the essentials of pre- and post-operative counselling for post-MBS psychosocial and mental health challenges. The findings highlight the complex psychological trajectories after surgery and the associated psychological vulnerabilities, emphasizing the necessity of proactive preparation of patients through structured counselling. The review discusses the aims, focus, and components of pre- and post-MBS counselling, including assessment, education, expectation management, coping skills development, and support system planning. We propose a psychological preparedness and counseling framework across the patient journey, voicing a call to normalize and institutionalize robust psychological preparedness as part of routine contemporary bariatric care for long-term psychological wellbeing of patients.