Case study: You are fat and it is your fault
- Cost: R590 for the full Ethics Series
- CPD Points: 2 Ethics CEUs
- Retries: 3 attempts
- CPD accredited in South Africa
- Free certification
- Access on desktop, tablet and mobile
- Access from anywhere
- No time limits, work at your own pace
This case study explores the ethical considerations for the care of a patient with obesity requiring urgent surgery for suspected cancer, in terms of the four pillars of ethical medical practice – patient autonomy, justice, beneficience and non-maleficience.
This ethics-based learning scenario illustrates how clinicians can ensure justice and optimal care of patients with obesity.
The approach to this patient demonstrates the latest South African guidance on reducing weight bias in obesity care1 and provides the latest of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) on the ethical considerations of the Care of Patients with obesity.
  Learning Objectives
- This case study explores the ethical considerations for the care of a patient with obesity requiring urgent surgery for suspected cancer, in terms of the four pillars of ethical medical practice – patient autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence
- It focuses on patient-centred counselling and avoidance of clinical bias, whether implicit or explicit
- This ethics-based learning scenario illustrates how clinicians can ensure justice for and optimal care of patients with obesity
- The approach to this patient demonstrates the latest South African guidance on reducing weight bias in obesity care and provides the relevant advice from American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ACOG) on the ethical considerations of the care of patients with obesity.
  Meet our expert
Dr Jocelyn Ann Hellig
Physician and endocrinologist
MBChB (UCT) FCP (SA) MMed Int Med (SU) Certificate Endocrinology and Metabolism
Dr Jocelyn Hellig completed her MBChB at the University of Cape Town in 2008, where she graduated top of her class. She then spent her two years of internship at McCord Hospital in Durban, after which she returned to Cape Town for her community service training at the former GF Jooste hospital in Mannenberg – a place that cemented her love for the challenges of internal medicine.
Jocelyn then pursued a career in internal medicine straight after completing her community service. She started her registrar training at Tygerberg hospital in 2012 and completed her degree in 2015. She served as vice-chairperson of the registrar committee for two years and had a special interest in undergraduate teaching. She started her fellowship training directly after completing her internal medicine degree. As a fellow, she developed a passion for postgraduate teaching and the improvement of health care delivery in a resource-constrained setting.Â
