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Despite efforts from US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations for screening and treating obesity, there exists many barriers, a new study has found.

According to the study majority of these barriers can be overcome through technological approaches. 

Researchers found that compared to usual care, technology-assisted interventions specifically in the primary care setting help patients achieve weight loss. 

Researchers considered data from clinical trials from the medical literature since the year 2000 through a rigorous systematic review methodology. 

They found that the doctor compared to health coaches, dieticians, or nurse practitioners, was most often studied and was capable of delivering these technology-assisted weight loss interventions in the outpatient clinic. 

"We were very pleased that after critically looking at all of the available data, technology-assisted weight loss interventions can be successfully used in primary care practice," noted Melanie Jay, MD, the study's senior author in the press release.

The study has been published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM).