Obesity and COVID-19: Redefining “Healthy” and Liability Exposure
Over the last few months we’ve all seen and heard many news stories of young, healthy people with no supposed underlying conditions becoming very sick and even dying due to COVID-19. However, I can’t help but notice that many of the pictures accompanying these stories show young (or younger) people who are (or were) obese. Yet, the news media insists – sometimes screams! – the patients in question were “healthy” and COVID-19 can maim and kill anyone.
Perhaps, COVID-19 offers us a chance to redefine “healthy” while lowering liability exposure for healthcare organizations.
Earlier this year I shared the link for an interview of Michael Osterholm, PhD on the Joe Rogan Show. Osterholm is an epidemiologist who published a book a few years ago predicting this pandemic. At the time of the Rogan interview, we were in the early days of the outbreak here in the States and there was a prevailing attitude that COVID could only be fatal for the old and those with cancer or other serious underlying ailments. Osterholm warned in the Rogan interview that obesity was America’s underlying condition with COVID-19; numerous recent studies point to obesity as a major risk factor during this pandemic. The most recent data from the CDC estimates 42 percent of the American population is obese. If you’ve ever watched passengers file off an airplane you know this figure is correct, and maybe even under-estimated a bit.
We don’t need fat shaming, but we need to be honest with people and stop the delusions and normalization of unhealthy life styles. If you are obese at any age, you are not healthy. Full stop. Obesity is a disease and serious medical condition. Full stop. Your body is under continual stress and assault and vulnerable to attack from assassins like COVID as well as the usual chronic illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc. Hollywood and social media may glamorize and even try to normalize obesity, but COVID-19 is now running the show.
In this age when people are becoming increasingly sedate with the avalanche of entertainment options, perhaps this pandemic is providing a chance for re-set. Maybe this crisis opens the door for doctors and nurses to re-start the conversation about what it means to be truly healthy.
Sorry Works! is concerned about medical errors, risk, and liability, and I believe obesity and other public health problems have a major bearing on liability risk for healthcare professionals. Please understand, I strongly believe all patients are due the standard of care. Moreover, hospitals are generally for the sick, not the healthy. However, an American population that is becoming more and more unhealthy places a greater strain on our healthcare system. The more stress we the patient population place upon acute and long-term care facilities, the greater the number of possible medical errors and the more clinicians will need to reach for “I’m sorry.”
It’s been often said the best way to avoid medical errors is to avoid the hospital – and that means truly being healthy. As we roll up this pandemic (we will get past this crisis), we need to make healthy weight a reality in this country, from re-instituting gym classes in K-12 education and encouraging more youth sports options that are affordable for all families to education on healthy eating and diminishing the pull of social media and entertainment. Doctors and nurses can play a critical role in creating this new reality, and doing so will decrease the times they have to say “sorry” to patients and families.