OBESITY - AS SEEN BY THE PATIENT AND HIS FAMILY

Competence to treat obesity will become necessary for many physicians, particularly general practitioners (GPs), once new treatment strategi es including drug treatment regimens and combinations have been adopte d. This report describes the development of a training tool consisting of a videotape in five sections, an audience-driven interactive keypa d system and a slide programme. These components can be combined in di fferent ways and used for various audiences such as physicians, studen ts and healthcare workers, but also for patients and relatives. The pr ogramme could also be used to assess educational progress. Seeing, in a realistic way, the situation of the obese patient and his environmen t may make physicians more willing to realise their commitment towards this group of patients whose needs for support and recognition have g enerally been neglected by the medical profession.