Cost awareness among junior anaesthetists in Sri Lanka.

A group of junior anaesthetists were asked to estimate the prices of twenty five drugs they commonly used in order to determine their cost awareness. Overall cost awareness was poor and was not influenced by their training status or the number of years in anaesthetic practice. The group, as a whole, under-estimated the prices of new drugs and tubocurarine but over-estimated the prices of other drugs. Some factors which may have influenced their decisions are discussed and suggestions made as to how cost awareness can be improved.