Abstract
A high-functioning, multidisciplinary team is critical for success in today's healthcare environment. Within the context of healthcare, the word teamwork can be defined as “a dynamic process involving two or more health professionals with complementary backgrounds and skills, sharing common health goals” 1 ; a definition that aptly defines the bariatric surgical team. The composition of the team and the skills of the individual members are critical to the effectiveness of the team. Just like a sports team, each team needs individuals with specialized skills, as well as individuals that fill specific roles. Talent on a team is necessary but not sufficient for success. High-functioning teams require shared mental models, shared visions, and shared goals. Our hope is that the new approach to the Journal will increase knowledge and skills, build relationships, and encourage the dialogues that build strong teams and lead to productive and successful collaboration and teamwork in the clinical setting.
Teams and teamwork are effective not only in the practice setting, but also in the research environment. In the last 50 years, there has been an increase in the volume and type of work conducted by teams. 2 This increase is due to the complexity of social, environmental, and public health problems such as obesity. 3 The complexity of health, disease, interventions, and translation is increasingly cutting across disciplines and it is becoming virtually impossible to answer the pressing questions without the involvement of various disciplines, as it is not practical or efficient for individuals to be experts in all specialties. The intersection of social and scientific problems have necessitated investments in teams and we hope that research teams find the refined focus of Bariatric Surgical Patient Care a valuable platform to disseminate the important advancements in the field.
In addition to the title change and refined focus, as you turn through the pages of this issue you will also notice other changes that will benefit bariatric programs, as well as individual providers who care for patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Similar to the previous format, each issue will include multidisciplinary peer-reviewed original articles, peer-reviewed literature reviews and meta-analyses, expert roundtable discussions highlighting the latest trends and challenges in the field, provocative editorials and perspective papers, a resource section, and a clinical question and answer section. In this issue, the perspectives of various disciplines are showcased in the original papers authored by nurses, nutritionists, and behavioral psychologists, and the experiences of the multidisciplinary research team are illustrated in the roundtable discussion. In this dialogue, the moderator led a discussion about the current intervention models to increase physical activity before and after bariatric surgery.
Other types of features and sections will be included as appropriate, such as articles pertaining to regulatory affairs, certification, ethics, and policy. We are also introducing a new regular feature that is intended to create a sense of community among readers and to provide a forum for communication and conversation among the readership. This feature is called the “Clinical Roundup,” and it will include tips and information from bariatric surgical programs about a specific topic or area of program development. For the first installment, seven bariatric centers from across the country shared insights and experience about how their team integrates social media into its bariatric program; this type of information should be useful and provide insight and guidance for bariatric providers.
It is our sincerest hope that the new direction and refined focus of the Journal continues to meet the ongoing educational and practical needs of the readership. As always, we welcome your input; please do not hesitate to contact the editorial team with comments or questions. We also hope this new format provides more opportunities for researchers and clinicians to showcase the valuable work of their dedicated teams. We continue to welcome the submission of original papers, including research-based manuscripts, literature reviews, and thought-provoking perspectives and case studies. If you have ideas for roundtable discussions or for the Clinical Roundup, we would love to hear about those ideas as well. Enjoy the new look and new focus of Bariatric Surgical Patient Care.