C. Ochoa Chaar1, N. Gholitabar1, M. Devlin1, J. Luo1, Y. Zhang1, H. Hsia1, D. Silasi1, F. Lui1 1Yale University School Of Medicine,Vascular Surgery,New Haven, CT, USA
Introduction: Wide variation in use of Hemostatic agents (HA) by surgeons can significantly affect the cost of care. We postulate that surgeon’s education on HA impacts practice pattern and choice of products and can potentially be incorporated in a cost containment strategy.
Methods: A survey (17 questions) inquiring about the attitudes and preferences of surgeons regarding HA in a multi-hospital healthcare network was conducted electronically. Respondents were divided into 2 groups based on whether they had updated their knowledge and received education on HA (group A) or not (group B).
Results: There were 148 respondents (25% response rate) in a variate of specialties. (Figure 1) Only 57 surgeons (38.5%) had received updated education on HA (group A). Group A surgeons were significantly more likely to select HA based on literature (33.3% vs 6.6%) while group B surgeons were more likely to rely on what they used in training (28.6% vs 14%) or what is available in the hospital (58.2% vs 47.4%) (P=0.0007). There was little influence by vendor marketing in the 2 groups (A=5.3% vs B=8.8%, P=0.5). Surgeons in group A were significantly more likely to be aware of the costs of HA (47.4% vs 28.6%, P=0.02) and correctly estimate the cost of Surgicel (26.3% vs 13.2%, P=0.05) compared to group B. In the operating room, most surgeons did not routinely open HA (A= 63.2% vs B= 71.4%, P =0.35). However, group A surgeons were more likely to be specific regarding the size and amount of HA requested (A=33.3% vs B=14.3%, P=0.0027). Group A surgeons were more receptive to changing the choice of HA compared to group B (63.2% vs 44%, P=0.03).
Conclusion: Surgeon education on HA is associated with increased awareness of cost and may affect practice pattern in the operating room. Surgeon education can potentially lead to cost-conscious behavior and improve engagement in cost containment strategies.
