The Physician-Patient as an Informed Consumer of Surgical Services

TLDR

The alleged overuse of surgical services in the United States is often blamed on a lack of consumer knowledge. The authors sought to determine whether physicians, presumed to be knowledgeable, use surgical services similarly to lawyers, ministers, and businessmen. They compared physicians’ surgical utilization with that of other professional groups. Physician and spouse operation rates were as high or higher than other groups, with overall rates 25–30 % above national averages, suggesting that informed physician‑patients value surgical care and that greater public knowledge may raise demand. Published in N Engl J Med 290:1051–1055 (1974).

Abstract

Abstract The alleged overuse of surgical services in this country is often attributed to lack of consumer knowledge. Assuming that physicians possess such knowledge, we have examined their utilization of surgical services and compared It with that of lawyers, ministers, and businessmen. Operation rates for physicians and their spouses were found to be as high as or higher than rates for the other groups. Overall operation rates for physicians and for the other professional groups studied were estimated to be 25 to 30 per cent higher than for the country as a whole. We conclude that the physician-patient as an informed consumer places a high value on surgical care. The results presented suggest that as the public becomes more fully informed, the demand for surgical services will increase. (N Engl J Med 290:1051–1055, 1974)