title: SurgiCal Obesity Treatment Study (SCOTS): protocol for a national prospective cohort study of patients undergoing bariatric surgery in Scotland.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The efficacy of bariatric surgery for large-scale, long-term weight loss is well established. However, many questions remain over the continual benefits and cost-effectiveness of that weight loss for overall health, particularly when accounting for potential complications and adverse events of surgery. Health research institutes in the UK and the USA have called for high-quality longitudinal cohort studies of patients undergoing bariatric surgery, assessing outcomes such as surgical complications, mortality, diabetes remission, microvascular complications, cardiovascular events, mental health, cost and healthcare use.
  
  
  METHODS
  SurgiCal Obesity Treatment Study (SCOTS) is a national, prospective, observational, cohort study of patients undergoing primary bariatric surgical procedures in Scotland. This study aims to recruit 2000 patients and conduct a follow-up for 10 years postbariatric surgery using multiple data collection methods: surgeon-recorded data, electronic health record linkage, and patient-reported outcome measures. Outcomes measured will include: mortality, weight change, diabetes, surgical, cardiovascular, cancer, behavioural, reproductive/urological and nutritional variables. Healthcare utilisation and economic productivity will be collected to inform cost-effectiveness analysis.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The study has received a favourable ethical opinion from the West of Scotland Research Ethics committee. All publications arising from this cohort study will be published in open-access peer-reviewed journals. All SCOTS investigators (all members of the research team at every recruiting site) will have the ability to propose research suggestions and potential publications using SCOTS data; a publications committee will approve all requests for use of SCOTS data and propose writing committees and timelines. Lay-person summaries of all research findings will be published simultaneously on the SCOTS website (http://www.scotsurgeystudy.org.uk).
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Logue
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Sally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Munro
authors.affiliation: Clinical Trials Unit, University of Warwick, Warwick, UK.
authors.forename: Julie
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8462-7999
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Eleanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grieve
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Mike
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lean
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Robert S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Lindsay
authors.affiliation: NHS Grampian, Aberdeen, UK.
authors.forename: Duff
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bruce
authors.affiliation: University Hospital Ayr, NHS Ayrshire and Arran, Ayr, UK.
authors.forename: Abdulmajid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.affiliation: Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Briggs
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Naveed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sattar
authors.affiliation: Robertson Centre for Biostatistics, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ford
mesh_terms: D050110:Bariatric Surgery; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000601:surgery*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012107:Research Design; D012606:Scotland; D015431:Weight Loss
keywords: EPIDEMIOLOGY; HEALTH ECONOMICS; NUTRITION & DIETETICS