[Preventive surgery: cost-efficiency relationship--an introduction].

Abstract

The problems of financial costs in our health care system have led to preventive surgery being criticized as well, since valid data regarding the value for patients are often missing. The decrease in resources should induce the physician to check the efficacy of his therapy in comparative studies, especially when taking preventive measures. To reach an optimum for the benefit of the patient it is ethically justifiable to also mention economic aspects in these studies in order to gain financial resources further on.