Awareness of surgical costs: a multicenter cross-sectional survey

Background: Resource scarcity continues to be an important problem in modern surgical practice. Studies in North America and Europe have found that medical professionals have limited understanding of the costs of medical care. No cost awareness studies have been undertaken in Australasia or specifically focusing on the surgical team. This study determined the cost of a range of commonly used diagnostic tests, procedures, and hospital resources associated with care of the surgical patient. The surgical teams' awareness of these costs was then assessed in a multicenter cross-sectional survey.

Methods: In total, 14 general surgical consultants, 14 registrars, and 25 house officers working in three New Zealand hospitals were asked to estimate the costs of 14 items commonly associated with patient care. Cost estimations were considered correct if within 25% plus or minus of the actual cost. Accuracy was assessed by calculating the median, mean, and absolute percentage discrepancy.

Results: A total of 57 surveys were completed. Of which, four were incomplete and were not included in the analysis. Cost awareness was generally poor, and members of the surgical team were rarely able to estimate the costs to within 25%. The mean absolute percentage error was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.58-1.18) and underestimates were most common. There was no significant difference in estimate accuracy between consultants, registrars, or house officers, or between consultants working in both public/private practice compared with those working in public practice alone.

Conclusion: There is poor awareness of surgical costs among consultant surgeons, registrars, and junior physicians working in Australasia.