Practice and perceptions of obstetrics and gynecology providers and the treatment of overweight and obese women.

OBJECTIVE To verify how frequently obstetrics-gynecology providers documented the diagnosis and treatment of overweight/obese patients during routine examinations. These results were compared to a survey administered to this group of providers that measured their perceived practice patterns regarding weight management. STUDY DESIGN A retrospective chart review was performed of well woman and routine postpartum exams of patients with a body mass index (BMI) > 25. Patient encounters were reviewed for a diagnosis of overweight or obese and weight management interventions offered. In addition, a survey was administered to obstetrics-gynecology providers who performed these exams in order to measure their perceived obesity diagnosis and treatment patterns. RESULTS A total of 1,145 patient encounters were reviewed of patients with a BMI > 25. Providers documented 77 of the 1,145 (6.7%) as overweight or obese. Only 70 of 1,145 (6.1%) had documented interventions (i.e., recommending weight loss or exercise). In contrast, a majority of providers surveyed reported they appropriately diagnosed and counseled patients with obesity. CONCLUSION The majority of obstetrics and gynecology providers surveyed perceived that weight management was an important part of their clinical practice; however documentation of patient encounters did not match their perceived clinical