Taking the Leap Toward Cost-Conscious Education in Obstetrics and Gynaecology: A Preliminary Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: Residents have a professional obligation with respect to the stewardship of health care resources, yet there is a paucity of research on how to improve residents' cost-awareness. Rising health care expenditures highlight a critical need to improve education related to this competency. This study aimed to test if an educational module can teach residents to make cost-conscious decisions and reduce health care spending.

Methods: All Canadian obstetrics and gynaecology residents in 2017 were eligible to participate in this randomized controlled trial. The study was administered online via REDCap. Interested residents were enrolled, stratified by level of training, and block randomized. Residents completed a survey to determine their management of 4 obstetrical scenarios. The intervention group reviewed an educational module on cost-effective ordering prior to completing the survey; the control group was given the option to review the module afterward. The primary outcome was mean total expenditures, compared between the 2 groups using the t test.

Results: Eighty-five residents were enrolled between August and November 2017, and 63 residents from 13 Canadian residency programs completed the study requirements (33 control and 30 intervention). Mean total expenditure was CAD$291.03 (95% CI 259.38-322.68) versus CAD$192.98 (95% CI 170.67-215.29) for the control and intervention groups, respectively. These figures corresponded to a 33.69% or CAD$98.05 reduction in total expenditures (P = 0.0001).

Conclusion: This educational module decreased expenditures by Canadian obstetrics and gynaecology residents managing hypothetical obstetrical cases. This introduces a potential curriculum innovation to improve resident education in judicious use of health care resources.