The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology have published clinical practice guidelines for comprehensive medical care of patients with obesity.

The thrust of the final recommendations is to recognize that obesity is a complex, adiposity-based chronic disease, where management targets both weight-related complications and adiposity to improve overall health and quality of life.

The detailed evidence-based recommendations allow for nuance-based clinical decision-making that addresses the multiple aspects of real-world medical care of patients with obesity, including screening, diagnosis, evaluation, selection of therapy, treatment goals, and individualization of care.

The goal is to facilitate high-quality care of patients with obesity and provide a rational, scientifically based approach to management that optimizes health outcomes and safety.

The guidelines are based on 9 broad clinical questions, and contain 123 recommendations and 160 specific statements that build a comprehensive medical care plan for obesity.

Citation: Garvey W, Mechanick J, Brett E, et al. American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology clinical practice guidelines for comprehensive medical care of patients with obesity: Executive summary. [Published online ahead of print May 24, 2016]. Endocr Pract. doi:10.4158/EP161365.GL.