References
Prescribing challenges following bariatric surgery

Abstract
Obesity is an increasing problem in the UK, with over half of the population being overweight or obese. The use of gastric surgery is increasing, with a 5% increase in 2016/17 compared to 2015/16. However, little is known about ideal drug formulations after bariatric surgery. An exploratory literature search of research databases was carried out to address this. The authors found that there was a dearth of high-quality primary studies available, with many studies using low numbers of participants. The major finding was of the need for increased vigilance and monitoring of patients after surgery.
The statistics surrounding obesity in the UK are concerning. The prevalence of people who are overweight or obese was 57% for women and 66% for men in 2016 (NHS Digital, 2017). The prevalence of obesity alone has increased from 15% of the population in 1993 to 27% by 2015 (NHS Digital, 2017). This is an increasing trend worldwide, with the UK currently having the dubious value of being near the top of the league table for obesity prevalence; ranked sixth out of 34 countries (NHS Digital, 2018). The same statistics reveal that 617 000 admissions to hospital in 2016/17 were related to obesity, an increase of 18% on the previous year. There was a 5% increase in admissions for bariatric surgery in 2016/17 compared to 2015/16 from 6000 to 6760, although the total number has not reached the peak seen in 2011/12 (NHS Digital, 2018).
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