David A. Lubarsky

How much are patients willing to pay to avoid postoperative nausea and vomiting

Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) are unpleasant experiences. However, there is no drug that is completely effective in preventing PONV. Whereas cost effectiveness analyses rely on specific health outcomes (e.g., years of life saved), cost-benefit analyses assess the cost and benefit of medical therapy in terms of dollars. We hypothesized that patients were willing to pay for a hypothetical new drug that would eliminate PONV. Eighty elective day surgical patients using general anesthesia participated in the study. After their recovery in the postanesthetic care unit, they were asked to complete an interactive computer questionnaire on demographics, the value of avoiding PONV, and their willingness to pay for an antiemetic. Patients were willing to pay US

Cost-effectiveness of Prophylactic Antiemetic Therapy with Ondansetron, Droperidol, or Placebo

56 (US

The Successful Implementation of Pharmaceutical Practice Guidelines Analysis of Associated Outcomes and Cost Savings

26--US

The impact of pharmacogenomics on postoperative nausea and vomiting: Do CYP2D6 allele copy number and polymorphisms affect the success or failure of ondansetron prophylaxis?

97; median, 25%--75%) for an antiemetic that would completely prevent PONV. Patients who developed nausea (n = 21; 26%) and vomiting (n = 9; 11%) were willing to pay US

Calculating a potential increase in hospital margin for elective surgery by changing operating room time allocations or increasing nursing staffing to permit completion of more cases: a case study.

73 (US

Using an anesthesia information management system as a cost containment tool: Description and validation

44--US

Operating Room Utilization Alone Is Not an Accurate Metric for the Allocation of Operating Room Block Time to Individual Surgeons with Low Caseloads

110) and

Use of linear programming to estimate impact of changes in a hospital's operating room time allocation on perioperative variable costs.

100 (US

A psychological basis for anesthesiologists' operating room managerial decision-making on the day of surgery.

61--US

Decreasing operating room environmental pathogen contamination through improved cleaning practice

200; median, 25%--75%), respectively (P < 0.05). Seventy-six percent of patients considered avoiding postoperative nausea and 78% of patients considered avoiding vomiting as important (> or = 50 mm on a 0--100-mm visual analog scale). Nausea or vomiting in the postanesthetic care unit, greater patient income, previous history of PONV, more importance placed on avoiding nausea and vomiting, increasing age, and being married are independent covariates that increase the willingness to pay estimates. Patients associated a value with the avoidance of PONV and were willing to pay between US