From disability to productivity: the impact of metabolic and bariatric surgery on return to work.

Background: Limited data exist on employment outcomes following metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS), and no studies have specifically evaluated outcomes among patients unemployed specifically due to disability at the time of surgery.

Objectives: To assess the impact of MBS on return to work (RTW) among patients who were unemployed due to disability preoperatively.

Setting: Academic medical center in the United States.

Methods: A prospectively maintained MBS database was used to identify patients with known preoperative employment status, age 18-59, who underwent primary MBS between 2006 and 2022. Employment status was extracted from the medical record to identify patients unemployed due to disability. The overall RTW was evaluated using Kaplan-Meier analysis and compared between demographic groups using LogRank tests.

Results: Of the 6534 eligible patients, 9.6% (n = 625) self-reported as not working due to disability during the preoperative period. The rate of self-reported RTW was 10.5%, 17%, 44.3%, at 2, 4, and 10 years respectively. The median follow-up was 5.7 years. Younger age (P = .026) and private insurance (P = .0043) were associated with increased rates of RTW.

Conclusion: More than 40% of patients unemployed due to disability returned to work within 10 years of MBS, with nearly 60% of patients under age 40 returning to work within 10 years. These findings suggest MBS may support long-term functional recovery and socioeconomic reintegration among disabled individuals.