Prioritization attitudes among doctors and nurses examined by a scenario method

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Healthcare Management
• Health Policy

Background:

• Healthcare systems face challenges in resource allocation.
• Prioritization criteria significantly impact patient outcomes and equity.
• Understanding healthcare professionals' perspectives is crucial for effective policy development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine doctors' and nurses' attitudes towards 14 distinct patient prioritization criteria.
• To identify factors influencing healthcare professionals' decisions in resource allocation scenarios.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the random paired scenario method with 241 doctors and 151 nurses in Finland.
• Respondents evaluated 12 pairs of hypothetical patient cases, each with 2-3 prioritization criteria.
• Data collected via questionnaires with response rates of 60.3% for doctors and 50.3% for nurses.

Main Results:

• Children were highly prioritized, often above severe disease.
• Doctors favored expensive treatments, regardless of disease severity.
• Demented, institutionalized, or self-inflicted disease patients were deprioritized.
• Nurses' prioritization attitudes mirrored those of doctors.

Conclusions:

• Strong prioritization of children and severe conditions observed.
• Elderly patients with dementia or in institutions were deprioritized.
• Self-inflicted diseases were deprioritized, with nurses showing a stronger tendency than doctors.