DNP Project: Anesthesia Cost Awareness Project: Price List of Common Anesthetic Drugs

Background: Anesthesia providers have full access to medications to administer anesthesia, yet many providers are not aware of the costs of the medications that are administered. Objective: To examine the effects of providing a price list for the common anesthetic drugs in the operating room, to determine if a price list will change cost awareness among anesthesia providers, and to assess provider’s attitude toward price list intervention. Methods: This is a descriptive comparative research study that uses a pre-intervention survey to assess if the anesthesia providers have a knowledge base of the cost for the anesthetic medications. A price list is placed in the operating room. A follow-up survey assesses the anesthesia providers’ knowledge of medication cost and the attitude about cost saving in anesthesia practice. Results: 26 participants were included in this study. Participants who completed the pre-survey included two anesthesiologists (8%), seventeen CRNAs (65%), three SRNAs (12%), one anesthesia resident physician (3%), and three unidentified participants (12%). There were 23 surveys completed in the post-survey group. Two (9.5%) were from anesthesiologists, fifteen (71%) were from CRNAs, three (14%) were from SRNAs, and one (5.5%) was an unidentified participant. Conclusion: Anesthesia providers improved their knowledge for the correct cost of medications from 2.6 to 3.8 after the price list was intervened. Relevance to Practice: Anesthesia providers should be knowledgeable about medication costs with health care reform and limited reimbursements. Anesthesia providers should tailor their anesthetics in order to manage cost. Key words: cost awareness, anesthesia cost, and price-lis