Variations in bariatric surgical care pathways : a national costing study on the variability of services and impact on costs

Grieve, Eleanor and Mackenzie, Ruth M. and Munro, Jane and O’Donnell, Joanne and Stewart, Sally and Ali, Abdulmajid and Bruce, Duff and Trevor, Miranda and Logue, Jennifer (2018) Variations in bariatric surgical care pathways : a national costing study on the variability of services and impact on costs. Obesity, 5: 43. ISSN 1930-739X

Abstract

Background: We undertook a survey of all bariatric centres in Scotland in order to describe current pre- and postoperative care, to estimate their costs and explore differences in financial impact. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to each health centre. Descriptive statistics were used to present average cost per patient along with 95% confidence intervals, and the range of costs. Results: Results show nearly a five-fold difference in costs per patient for pre-operative services (range £226 - £1071) and more than a three-fold difference for post-operative services (range £259 - £896). Conclusions: There is a lack of evidence base and a clear requirement for the evaluation of bariatric surgical services to identify the care pathways pre- and post-surgery which lead to largest improvements in health outcomes and remain cost-effective.