EASO Collaborating Centres for Obesity Management (COMs)
Application Form
The Concept
Obesity is recognised as a global epidemic and the most prevalent metabolic disease world-wide. However,
specialised obesity services are not widely available in Europe and obesity care can therefore vary enormously
across European regions. In response to this situation, EASO has developed a network of accredited specialised
obesity centres, where the quality and efficacy of the care offered to patients are of the highest standards.
Under the EASO Collaborating Centres for Obesity Management (COM) scheme, centres will be accredited in
accordance with accepted European and academic guidelines. Our aim is to provide physicians, health-care
policy makers and health-care providers with authoritative criteria for the development of Obesity Management
Centres across Europe, recognized by national health authorities. Accreditation will be granted for a three year
period, after which time re-assessment will be undertaken.
For further information, please refer to the EASO COM Criteria Paper (Obes Facts 2011;4:329–333) or visit
www.easo.org
Who Should Apply?
The EASO COM network will include university, public and private clinics. Each centre must comply with clearly
defined requirements and work in close collaboration for the better management of all obese patients. Each
accredited centre must ensure that the obese and overweight patient is managed by a holistic team of
specialists and will receive comprehensive state-of-the-art clinical care. Furthermore, the participating centres,
under the umbrella of EASO, will work closely for quality control, data collection and analysis, as well as
education and research for the advancement of obesity care and obesity science.
Each centre will be expected to:
 Implement state-of-the art evidence-based care for obese patients
 Monitor all obesity- related medical conditions and risk factors
 Provide high quality patient and public information
 Improve access to care pathways by optimizing referral processes and developing close working between
levels of care
 Develop comprehensive multidisciplinary local collaboration
 Facilitate, and empower patients to make healthy lifestyle changes: develop therapeutic education
 Educate staff about treating patients with obesity
 Encourage development of and support Patient Associations, by sharing experience and expertise
 Offer or collaborate with preventive care services
 Promote obesity related knowledge and awareness among the public and health care providers
 Improve the collaboration interface between clinical researchers and scientists
 Integrate health care, teaching and research
 Facilitate clinical research projects
Why Should You Apply?
Each member centre will be accredited, for a three year period, as having met comprehensive criteria as set out
by EASO and according to recognised European management guidelines – and will therefore be recognised as a
leading obesity management centre in Europe. Accredited centres will have the opportunity to:
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contribute to the development of EASO pan-European protocols for the evaluation of obese patients
contribute to the development of consensus statements/guidelines on specialised aspects of obesity
management
contribute to obesity education across Europe
participate in an EASO led pan-European scientific/clinical exchange programme
participate in EASO facilitated Clinical Trials and Pilot Studies
participate in EASO coordinated research projects
participate in COM ‘Summit Meetings’ at each ECO (European Congress on Obesity)
access and contribute to an EASO pan-European system of data collection and analysis
access a web-based COM community where each centre can post job vacancies and highlight the key
capabilities and features of the centre
How Can You Apply?
All interested centres are required to complete the comprehensive application form below, which will be
assessed by the EASO OMTF (Obesity Management Task Force) – applications will be assessed twice per year.
Thereafter, feedback will be given and where necessary assessment site visits will be conducted. No application
fee will be charged. However, for those centres that require an assessment site visit, the applicant centre will
be expected to cover the travel and accommodation costs of a maximum of two EASO OMTF members.
European Association for the Study of Obesity
Registered Charity Number 1111288
EASO COM Application Form
Name of Institution:
Obesity Center, Kuopio University Hospital
Address:
P.O. Box 1777
Puijonlaaksontie 2
Town/City:
70211 Kuopio
Country:
Finland
Website:
http://www.psshp.fi/index.asp?link=5851.5&language=1 (in finnish)
Lead Contact:
Jussi Pihlajamäki
Position of Lead
Contact:
Head of the obesity center
Acting Professor in Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland (UEF)
Member of EASO
National Association:
Yes
Telephone:
+358-50-3440187
Fax:
+358 17 173 145
Email:
jussi.pihlajamaki@uef.fi
Signature of Lead
Contact:
Date of Submission:
December 21st, 2011
European Association for the Study of Obesity
Registered Charity Number 1111288
EASO COM Requirements
General Requirements
Patients: Outline
patient profile and
selection procedure.
Facility Location:
Outline facilities and
geographical
distribution of sites.
Number of obese patients seen per annum (visits in 2011)
- in adult Obesity Center
Number of new obese patients per annum (2011)
Number of massively obese patients (BMI > 40) per annum (2011)
Number of obese children/adolescents seen per annum (2011)
- in the pediatric department (professor Jarmo Jääskeläinen)
Specific cases: Prader-Willi syndrome (10), Bardet-Biedl syndrome (2),
hypothalamic obesity (5). We regularly test for monogenic obesity and
have identified several patients with MC4R mutations.
Is the facility a Centre or Clinic?
-within a university hospital
-within a larger department (internal medicine, endocrinology...)
- Adult Obesity Center belongs to the department of Medicine
- Children are treated in the department of children and adolescents
Number of beds dedicated to obesity
Number of weekly clinics dedicated to obesity
Outline contacts with pediatric team:
Adult Obesity Center is dedicated to the treatment of individuals
older than 16 years. However, we work close in a close collaboration
with the department of children and adolescents providing a
continuing care from childhood to adulthood. All patients ending visits
in the pediatric department are invited to a control visit in adult
Obesity Center. Therefore, we describe here resources for both.
Number of MDs in the dept involved in obesity management
Number with IASO SCOPE certification
Number of Dieticians
Number of Psychologists
Number of Physical educators
Staff Specifications:
Give overview of all
staff involved in the
delivery of the Obesity
Management service.
Are all staff members
of the relevant EASO
National Association?
Links to GPs: Outline
Patient Pathway
System.
First/second/third referral
Patients are referred from GPs in Northern Savo area and from other
clinics in the university hospital. In the unit we primarily treat
patients with BMI >35kg/m2. Patients with BMI<35kg/m2 and
overweight patients are mostly treated in primary health care
according to Finnish guidelines for the obesity treatment. We support
obesity treatment in primary health care, and collaboration between
our center and area, by providing 2 dieticians (not counted above)
from our clinic to work in primary care area. In addition, a network of
nurses to organize groups based therapies in the area has been
educated.
We also get referrals outside the university hospital area, mostly for
the obesity surgery evaluation and follow-up.
We have detailed pathway describing the organization of obese
patients in our area, according to the principles described above.
European Association for the Study of Obesity
Registered Charity Number 1111288
2315
234
1624
129
17
Yes
Yes
available, if
needed
2 adults
0.3 children
2 adults
2 children
0
2 adults
2 children
1 adults
1 children
adults,
available
when needed
1 children
Links to other Medical
Services and
Facilities: Outline all
relevant systems and
structured links.
Obesity Clinic is a collaborative organization within the university
hospital, incl. several medical fields: gastrosurgery, endocrinology,
psychiatry, orthopedy, pulmonology/otorhinolaryngology (sleep
apnea), medical genetics (Finnish Genome Center in the UEF),
cardiology and gynecology.
We work in a close collaboration with the department of clinical
nutrition of the University of Eastern Finland (UEF). Head of this unit
(JPI) is also a professor in the UEF unit that is famous for dietary
intervention studies (Professor Matti Uusitupa).
EASO COM Requirements: Equipment and Tools Appropriate for Obese Patients
Tool (Essential)
()
Appropriate cuffs for blood pressure
measurement (>34cm)
Scales with adequate weight capacity (> 200 kg)
Armless chairs, high firm sofas in waiting rooms
Wide examination tables
Beds for very obese patients >200kg
Stretchers adapted to very obese persons
Sleep apnoea monitors on site or at affiliated
facilities
Food frequency questionnaire and/or dietary
intake recording and assessment
Questionnaires concerning depression, eating
attitudes and disorders, physical activity, quality
of life (QOL)
Access to accredited hormonal and molecular
genetics laboratories
Access to additional relevant diagnostic
procedures adapted to the very obese persons,
such as:
X-ray
Ultrasound
CT and NMR Scanning
Endoscopy
Cardiac and Pulmonary Assessment
Nuclear Medicine
in the unit
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
x
in the unit
in the unit
in the unit
in the unit
within the university hospital
available in departments of
otorhinolaryngology and pulmonology
in the unit
x
in the unit
We work together with Eastern Finland
Laboratory Centre (www.islab.fi) and Genome
Center of University of Eastern Finland
(www.uef.fi/genediagnostics/etusivu)
()
x
x
x
x
x
x
Tool (Recommended)
Tool (Optimal)
Hydrodensitometry
Air displacement plethysmography
Comment
within
within
within
within
within
within
()
Pedometers
Skinfold calipers
Body composition analysis [Bio-impedance, dualenergy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA)]
Indirect calorimetry
Comment
x
x
x
the
the
the
the
the
the
university
university
university
university
university
university
hospital
hospital
hospital
hospital
hospital
hospital
Comment
in the unit
in the unit
Bioimpedance in the unit
DEXA within the university hospital
in the unit
x
()
Comment
not available
not available
European Association for the Study of Obesity
Registered Charity Number 1111288
EASO COM Requirements
Additional Requirements
Adult Obesity Clinic: Conservative therapy aims at permanent changes in
life-style with a multidisciplinary team consisting of internist, dietician,
physiotherapist (when needed) and psychologist (when needed). Treatment
is individually tailored and closely linked with the treatment in primary
care (to facilitate long term success). We promote group-based therapies
for different patient groups (e.g. with psychiatric disease, eating disorders
and sleep apnea). Selected patients are referred to obesity surgery in the
same hospital (see below).
Pediatrics: Conservative therapy aiming at permanent changes in life-style
of the whole family. Multidisciplinary team consisting of pediatric
endocrinologist, specialised nurse, dietician, physiotherapist and
psychologist. A treatment program for two years including altogether 8
visits is offered for families. No bariatric surgery is offered for children in
Finland.
We organize our clinic so that obese patients in a similar situation (e.g.
Educational Tools: Outline the
adolescents, patients with sleep apnea, candidates for obesity surgery,
educational opportunities and
operated patients) are invited to individual visits at the same day. This
options offered by your
allows group-based education tailored for the need of the group.
Institution.
Printed information is available for several obesity related problems. We
are currently reorganizing our website to be better accessible to all our
patients.
Kuopio university hospital was among the first hospitals in Finland to start
Affiliation with an accredited
obesity surgery in 1990s. Gastric banding was performed in the beginning.
Bariatric Surgery Centre: Outline Since 2000 laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass has been the
the scope and nature of any such
predominant type of operation (currently appr 100/year). Patient selection
affiliations.
and follow-up has been taken care by the Obesity Clinic. Meetings between
internists, dieticians and gastrosurgeons are organized 4/year.
All patient data is collected in the university hospital electronic records,
Data Collection and
and send to GPs when needed (with permission from the patient). On top
Management: Outline your
of the clinical records we do not have permission for other than scientific
Institution’s data collection and
registers (see below).
management systems.
Starting 2011 all conservatively treated patients have been recruited to a
collaborative study with the department of psychiatry. All patients
accepted for the obesity surgery are recruited to the ongoing Kuopio
Obesity Surgery (currently 250 individuals, >90% of operated patients). We
have recently performed study investigating the long term outcome of all
patients operated patients in our hospital (unpublished).
Postgraduate clinical training: 1 doctor is educated in the adult clinic (1
Education and Training and
clinic/week). Doctors and dieticians from our clinic gave >20 lectures
Research: Outline your
regionally and nationally related to the treatment of obesity 2011. We
Institution’s post-graduate
organize the treatment of obesity in the area by providing continuous
training programmes and
education (meeting every 2 years).
research capabilities/projects.
Postgraduate scientific training: Department clinical nutrition in the UEF
organizes regular scientific education at an international level related to
nutrition and obesity (http://www.uef.fi/kttravi/kliininenravitsemustiede). We have been organizing an international symposium
“Obesity Surgery – Metabolic Surgery” 2009 in Kuopio, the meeting will be
organized again 2012 in Helsinki.
Applications will be evaluated twice per year. The first set of applications will be evaluated by the end of
the first quarter of 2012 (January - March) and the deadline for applications to be evaluated in this time period
is 31 December 2011.
Treatment Modalities: Outline
your Institution’s spectrum of
clinically proven treatment
options (to include the treatment
of complications).
This form should be completed in full and returned to the EASO Secretariat at enquiries@easo.org.
European Association for the Study of Obesity
Registered Charity Number 1111288