Recommendations on Standards for the Design of Medical Diagnostic Equipment for Adults with Disabilities, Advisory Committee Final Report

Notes

^PP The Advisory Committee spent considerable time trying to: (1) choose appropriate language for describing this population subgroup; and (2) find explicit parameters for what constitutes extreme or severe obesity. Many Committee members, including the Editorial Committee, rejected the word “bariatric” to describe these individuals because “bariatric” is typically used specifically to indicate particular types of services or service settings. Not all persons with severe obesity will chose bariatric services. The word “morbid,” often used before obesity (“morbid obesity”), carries connotations of the consequences of obesity that made some Committee members uncomfortable. The Editorial Committee settled on using the common adjectives “severe” or “extreme” that are employed in many contexts to identify values at the high end of a continuum of values. As noted in the text, although Committee members searched for definitions of extreme obesity among prominent public health organizations (e.g., Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization), we could not find a consensus definition of extreme obesity. The Committee intends for the phrase “extreme obesity” to represent individuals at the highest end of the weight continuum, who often have a body habitus or physique that necessitates diagnostic medical equipment designed specifically to accommodate their needs.

^QQ Clinical personnel and their supervisors also share responsibility for ensuring their safety during transfers, for example by explicit training in transfer ergonomics. Nonetheless, having accessible equipment should help minimize risks to patients and clinical staff.