Effectiveness of the Service Mapping method in re-designing the bariatric surgery clinical pathway

Background: Nowadays obesity is the world’s common disease. Bariatric surgery is the only therapy that provides significant cost savings within Public Health Service, but the lack of diagnostic paths universally accepted causes enormous waste of resources and disruptions. Service Mapping is the ideal methodology to describe work’s organization and to plan a new service model. Methods: The Service Mapping has been used to represent the actual state of the bariatric surgery service and starting from the critical aspects found, we have developed a desirable state of the service. Results: Experience-based design has given centrality to the beneficiary, making the bariatric service sensitive to patient’s needs and expectations. The micro-organization of work has improved professionals’ integration, avoiding the creation of new operational entities or additional costs. The service has been simplified both for clinicians and hospital managers. The strategic repositioning of the dietician and general practitioner’s recognition within the bariatric path allowed us to achieve better clinical outcomes. Conclusions: Service Mapping has highlighted clinicians’ difficulties in providing the service, emphasizing the importance of the beneficiary. The iconic representation is a powerful explicit framework, fundamental for management purposes, to understand the role of every subject involved in the service, to rationalize work’s organization, and integrate healthcare activities.