Perceived cost-conscious attitudes of physicians sensitized by the Choosing Wisely campaign during the undergraduate phase: A longitudinal study

Abstract

IntroductionThe rational use of health resources has awakened us to the importance of including this theme in the curriculum of medical schools. This research aims to compare the perception of cost-conscious attitudes of medical students before and after the implementation of the CW campaign and after 1 year of medical practice. Material and methodsLongitudinal study conducted with students and physicians, who answered a questionnaire on cost-conscious perception at 3 moments: before the implementation of the CW campaign during the undergraduate phase; immediately after the campaign; and after 1 year of medical practice. In order to make the comparison among the different moments, the T-test for paired samples was used. ResultsIn the first 2 moments, 98 students participated, of which 80 also participated in the third moment, already as physicians. Most students disagreed that physicians should not think about cost when making therapeutic decisions, with a change after the educational actions (P = .001). There was agreement by the students on the items that refer to the physicians’ posture regarding science and responsibility to contain costs and discuss treatment options with patients. Comparing the answers after the campaign and at 1 year of practice, it was observed that the perception of cost-conscious attitudes was maintained. ConclusionsStudents showed high perception of cost-consciousness, even before the implementation of the campaign. Nevertheless, after the educational actions, an increase in this perception was observed; and, after 1 year of medical practice, this perception was maintained.