Perception of the healthcare providers on the cost of commonly used consumable items in the Neonatal Intensive Care Units at Delhi / NCR, India

Abstract

Background: Consumable items used in NICU contribute to a significant proportion of the total cost of care. Objectives: To learn about the cost perceptions of NICU healthcare providers for some commonly used consumable items. Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in eight NICUs of corporate hospitals in the Delhi/NCR, India. A total of 191 doctors and nurses estimated the maximum retail price (in Indian National Rupees) of 18 commonly used consumable items. Estimated or perceived cost was taken as correct if it was within ±10% of the actual cost. Results: Out of total 3438 responses, only 9% estimates were correct. Females reported a significantly higher proportion of correct estimates as compared to males (9.8% vs. 6.3%; P=0.01). Nurses were observed to report significantly higher proportion of correct estimates as compared to doctors (10.0% vs. 6.6%; P=0.003). No relationship could be established between the misperceptions about the cost with age of the healthcare provider or with the duration of NICU work experience (P ≥0.05). Conclusion: Just like other regions, healthcare providers including doctors in our region were unaware of the true cost of commonly used consumables in NICU while nursing personnel had marginally better internalization.

Keywords

• Consumable items
• cost awareness
• cost perception
• doctors
• neonatal intensive care units
• nurses