Abstract
To the Editor. —Single patient trials (SPTs) as described by Dr Larson and colleagues 1 are an important approach to resolving some of the therapeutic questions faced in practice. I would like the authors to clarify the issue of costs. Currently, licensed residents in the Memphis, Tenn, area can moonlight for a starting wage of $50 per hour. Using the data provided by Larson et al (16.75 staff hours with estimated direct costs of $450 to $500 per trial), the is approximately $30 per hour. If staff time is to be calculated using physicians, shouldn't these figures be adjusted upward? Single patient trials are important tools for professional development, not only among full-time faculty, but particularly among clinical faculty. In this academic department of family medicine, academic faculty cost more than $60 per hour in salary and benefits. Even with these upward adjustments, participation in an SPT service should
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
