American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery systematic review of literature surrounding support groups and metabolic and bariatric surgery

Patients seeking metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS) are treated by an interdisciplinary team of surgeons and integrated health professionals before and after their surgery. Support groups are required as part of safety and quality of care programs seeking and maintaining accreditation; nevertheless, the research is limited regarding the efficacy and outcomes related to support group attendance. The intention of this systematic review is to summarize current literature surrounding MBS support groups, to identify gaps in the literature, and to provide recommendations for future research regarding support groups, as well as guidance for support group facilitators. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines platform and database searches were conducted for MBS support groups from 1998 to present using PubMed (Medline); Ovid (Medline); APA PsycNet (PsychINFO). Inclusion criteria were English language, adults of any age and adolescents (ages 14-18), and private, hospital, or academic medical center live support groups that follow American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery standards. Eighteen studies were included in our review. Authors sought to examine the relationship between attendance at facilitator-led, in person or virtual and hybrid support groups and outcomes of weight loss, self-management, and barriers to attendance. Results showed that support group attendance was associated with better weight loss, self-management, and adherence following surgery. This review supports the ongoing need for support group to be part of the interdisciplinary care of patients undergoing MBS. Additional research is needed to address cited gaps in the literature surrounding selection bias, lack of comparison groups, and to determine the impact of hybrid and virtual support groups on patient outcomes.