Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests

İbrahim Sarbay; Buğra İlhan; Mustafa Çalık; Turgut Deniz

doi:10.47493/abantmedj.1835722

Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests

Abstract

Objective: Emergency departments are resource-intensive environments in which diagnostic testing accounts for a significant share of overall healthcare spending. Inadequate physician awareness of the costs associated with these tests has been associated with unnecessary utilization and increased strain on healthcare systems. This study assessed Emergency Medicine (EM) residents in Türkiye regarding their knowledge and awareness of costs for commonly ordered laboratory and imaging tests. Materials and Methods: This prospective cross-sectional survey was conducted among EM residents across Türkiye. A 35-item questionnaire evaluated demographics, cost awareness, and estimation accuracy for 14 diagnostic tests. Estimates within ±25% of actual costs per the national Public Health Service Pricing Schedule were considered accurate, in accordance with thresholds used in prior studies assessing physicians’ awareness of medical costs Results: A total of 270 residents participated (mean age 29.6 ± 3.4 years; 65.2% male). Only 12.6% believed they had sufficient knowledge, and 2.6% had prior cost-related training. The mean accuracy across participants was 17.7% (95% CI: 16.6%-18.9%), with no test accurately estimated by more than one-third of participants. The highest accuracies were observed for serum β-hCG (30.7%), abdominal ultrasound (26.3%), and blood gas analysis (23.3%). Laboratory tests like troponin (50.0%) and blood gas (47.0%) were mostly underestimated, whereas β-hCG (40.0%) and diffusion MRI (34.4%) were overestimated. Over half (56%) reported ordering unnecessary tests. Subgroup analyses showed no significant differences in accuracy by gender, hospital type, or experience. Conclusion: EM residents in Türkiye show limited knowledge and low accuracy in estimating diagnostic test costs. The very low rate of prior education and high demand for training indicate a critical gap in medical curricula that should be addressed to reduce unnecessary testing and healthcare costs.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

None

Ethical Statement

This study was approved by the clinical research ethics committee of Kırıkkale University. Date: 26/03/2025, Number: 2025.03.33.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Emergency Medicine

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

İbrahim Sarbay ^*
0000-0001-8804-2501
Türkiye

Buğra İlhan
0000-0002-3255-2964
Türkiye

Mustafa Çalık
0000-0002-3184-2943
Türkiye

Turgut Deniz
0000-0002-4774-4678
Türkiye

Publication Date

April 30, 2026

Submission Date

December 4, 2025

Acceptance Date

February 11, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 15 Number: 1

DOI

https://doi.org/10.47493/abantmedj.1835722

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA65JU95LB

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Sarbay, İ., İlhan, B., Çalık, M., & Deniz, T. (2026). Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests. Abant Medical Journal, 15(1), 86-94. https://doi.org/10.47493/abantmedj.1835722

AMA

1.Sarbay İ, İlhan B, Çalık M, Deniz T. Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests. Abant Med J. 2026;15(1):86-94. doi:10.47493/abantmedj.1835722

Chicago

Sarbay, İbrahim, Buğra İlhan, Mustafa Çalık, and Turgut Deniz. 2026. “Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests”. Abant Medical Journal 15 (1): 86-94. https://doi.org/10.47493/abantmedj.1835722.

EndNote

Sarbay İ, İlhan B, Çalık M, Deniz T (April 1, 2026) Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests. Abant Medical Journal 15 1 86–94.

IEEE

[1]İ. Sarbay, B. İlhan, M. Çalık, and T. Deniz, “Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests”, Abant Med J, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 86–94, Apr. 2026, doi: 10.47493/abantmedj.1835722.

ISNAD

Sarbay, İbrahim - İlhan, Buğra - Çalık, Mustafa - Deniz, Turgut. “Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests”. Abant Medical Journal 15/1 (April 1, 2026): 86-94. https://doi.org/10.47493/abantmedj.1835722.

JAMA

1.Sarbay İ, İlhan B, Çalık M, Deniz T. Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests. Abant Med J. 2026;15:86–94.

MLA

Sarbay, İbrahim, et al. “Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests”. Abant Medical Journal, vol. 15, no. 1, Apr. 2026, pp. 86-94, doi:10.47493/abantmedj.1835722.

Vancouver

1.İbrahim Sarbay, Buğra İlhan, Mustafa Çalık, Turgut Deniz. Knowledge and Awareness of Emergency Medicine Residents Regarding the Costs of Common Diagnostic Tests. Abant Med J. 2026 Apr. 1;15(1):86-94. doi:10.47493/abantmedj.1835722