Operating Room Supply Cost Awareness: A Cross-Sectional Analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Economics
• Surgical Practice

Background:

• Surgeon knowledge of surgical instrument and disposable item costs is often limited.
• Attitudes towards integrating cost data into daily surgical practice are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess surgeon knowledge of commonly used operating room (OR) instruments and disposable items.
• To describe attitudes regarding the incorporation of cost data into daily surgical practice.

Main Methods:

• An electronic survey was distributed to faculty and trainees in the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Department of Urology.
• The survey assessed opinions on general OR supply cost information and specific costs of 10 laparoscopic nephrectomy supplies.
• Accuracy was defined as cost estimates within 50% of the actual cost.

Main Results:

• Response rates were 71% for faculty and 90% for trainees.
• A majority of faculty (55%) and trainees (82%) reported "fair" or "poor" knowledge of costs.
• Overall cost estimation accuracy for 10 items was 27%, with no significant difference between faculty and trainees.
• 75% of participants believed there is "too little" emphasis on cost awareness in OR settings.

Conclusions:

• Both surgical trainees and faculty demonstrate poor knowledge of OR supply costs.
• There is a noted interest among surgeons in academic settings to access cost data.
• Making cost data accessible could empower surgeons to act as cost arbiters, potentially reducing healthcare expenditures.