The epidemic and socioeconomic impact of obesity are not only affecting our daily patient care practices, but are also placing an unprecedented pressure on the healthcare budget through numerous comorbid conditions. In the past, obesity was regarded as a failure of an individual; today it is recognized as a disease. Diet and exercise programs rarely provide substantial permanent weight loss. Laparoscopic bariatric srugery provides the most effective management of morbid obesity while morbidity and mortality rates are minimized.

Section Description

We are pleased to present the abstracts from sgna's 36th annual course, SGNA: your gateway to opportunity. The diversity of these topics certainly reflects the richness and breadth of our specialty. in keeping with the tradition of the annual course, we hope the following abstracts will encourage discussions for improving nursing practice and patient care outcomes.