WEEK 3: Ethics of rationing Flashcards
1
Q
What is rationing?
A
the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods or services
2
Q
State the 4 health ethics
A
*Justice (equality)
*Autonomy( self determination)
*beneficence (do good)
*Non-maleficence (no harm)
3
Q
Who does rationing?
A
- health
8insurance companies
*individuals through what they can afford
4
Q
Give the examples of health care rationing
A
- Dialysis machines/transplants for patients in kidney failure
- Cancer treatment for older people or based on cost effectiveness
- Fertility treatment
- In many countries some surgery seen as non essential – cosmetic surgery
- Bariatric surgery for obesity – may be offset by savings in prevention of disability through
CVD, strokes, diabetes
5
Q
What is priority setting?
A
Priority setting implies consensus of what can be afforded for the population, rather than
trying to constrain individual demand
6
Q
Outline the criteria for priority setting.
A
- societal wish to maximize general population health
- distribution of health in the population: societies may give high priority to interventions that target vulnerable population groups, such as the poor or severely ill, children or pregnant women – seen as more deserving of health care than others
- societies may give high priority to the economically productive people to stimulate economic growth
- Or low priority to people who require health care as a result from “irresponsible” behavior (e.g., smoking)
- specific societal preferences, e.g., for acute care in life threatening situations, or for curative over preventive services
7
Q
State the priority setting - budgetary and practical constraints.
A
- costs and availability of trained health workers
- political criteria : Policy makers may not always be benevolent maximizers of social welfare, but may also act out of own (political) self-interest .
- policy makers may follow funding preferences of (international) organizations, which may not always cohere with national priorities
