Understanding and Contrasting Paediatricians’ Awareness of Common Diagnostics and Therapeutic Costs in Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates: Survey, 2025

Healthcare costs are rising globally, with a substantial portion attributed to wasteful practices. Physicians, due to their direct role in clinical decision-making, significantly influence healthcare spending. Existing literature consistently shows that many physicians lack accurate knowledge of healthcare costs.

This study assessed cost awareness, related behaviours, and attitudinal factors among paediatricians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Kingdom of Bahrain.

An analytical, cross-sectional survey was administered to 259 licensed paediatricians (169 UAE, 90 Bahrain) via a structured questionnaire encompassing demographics, cost estimation accuracy, scenario-based decision-making, and attitudes toward cost-conscious care. Cost awareness was quantified using the Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE), while cost-conscious behaviour was measured through a scenario-derived behavioural index.

The study revealed moderate overall cost awareness, with UAE-based paediatricians exhibiting significantly better estimation accuracy (MAPE = 24.88%) than their Bahrain-based counterparts (MAPE = 31.08%) (p = 0.004). Paediatricians in government institutions outperformed those in private settings (p = 0.021), and older physicians in the UAE showed marginally improved accuracy (ρ = –0.21, p = 0.006). Gender and institutional type significantly predicted cost-conscious behaviour but did not correlate with MAPE scores. Attitudinal scores toward cost-awareness were broadly favourable but were not significantly associated with knowledge or behavioural metrics.

This study highlights systemic and institutional factors as stronger determinants of paediatricians' cost awareness than individual demographics or access to cost data. The disconnect between confidence, behaviour, and actual knowledge underscores the urgent need for targeted educational interventions, cost transparency tools, and policy reforms.