Continuity of care after bariatric surgery in Australia: Perspectives of general practitioners and patients.

AIMS To explore General Practitioner (GP) and patient perspectives on contemporary post-bariatric surgery care in Australia across metropolitan and regional settings and public and private surgical pathways.

METHODS This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with 16 GPs and 19 adults who had undergone sleeve gastrectomy or gastric bypass ≥ 12 months previously. Participants were purposively sampled across metropolitan and regional locations, and public and private surgery settings. Interviews were conducted virtually, transcribed verbatim, and analysed inductively using reflexive thematic analysis. Coding density and participant characteristics were descriptively examined to explore variation by geography and funding sector.

RESULTS Six themes were identified: medical care and continuity, healthcare setting constraints, patient-level determinants, navigating surgery outcomes, support, and weight stigma and sensitive communications. GPs emphasised system-level challenges, including inadequate information from surgeons, workload pressures, and the need for stigma-sensitive communication. Patients highlighted inconsistent medical care and access to multidisciplinary services, variable confidence in GP-led follow-up and unmet support needs. GP perspectives were consistent across geographical settings, whereas patient experiences differed by location and surgery funding sector, with greater barriers reported by regional and public patients. Clear handover documentation and structured follow-up were consistently described by GPs and patients as facilitating more coordinated and satisfactory care.

CONCLUSIONS Post-bariatric surgery care in Australia remains fragmented, with persistent gaps in continuity, multidisciplinary access, and support. Strengthening shared-care frameworks through consistent surgical handover, structured lifelong follow-up, and targeted education for both GPs and patients, would improve care coordination and long-term outcomes.