Appropriateness of cholecystectomy: the public and private sectors compared.

Abstract

An appreciable proportion of patients undergo cholecystectomy for indications which were deemed inappropriate by a mixed panel, but not a surgical panel. Variation in clinical judgement is an important factor in the decision to operate--44 per cent of cases had indications, the appropriateness of which the surgical panel were undecided about. There were no significant differences between NHS and private patients as regards the appropriateness of their indications. These findings need to be confirmed by further studies comparing the public and private sectors.