Analysing health outcomes

Area of Science:

• Bioethics
• Health Economics
• Moral Philosophy

Background:

• Economists often face criticism for their cost-centric approach, stemming from their position as analytical consequentialists.
• This perspective contrasts with absolutist or intuitive ethical frameworks, leading to potential hostility and exclusion in discourse.
• The concept of rights is often viewed as resource-consuming, with implications for other rights in resource-constrained settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the ethical implications of analytical consequentialism in resource allocation and ethical discourse.
• To examine the utility of Quality-Adjusted Life Years (QALYs) within an analytical consequentialist framework for merging efficiency and equity.
• To question the potential exclusion of non-analytical ethical viewpoints and the concept of "analysisism".

Main Methods:

• Cross-classification of ethical distinctions (absolutist-consequentialist, intuitive-analytical).
• Analysis of the role of rights and resource consumption in ethical decision-making.
• Evaluation of QALY-type measures for efficiency and equity in health outcomes.

Main Results:

• Analytical consequentialism, exemplified by economists, prioritizes efficiency and equity through measures like QALYs.
• Fulfilling rights is acknowledged as a resource-intensive activity with potential trade-offs.
• The framework raises questions about the inclusivity of ethical discourse and the potential for "analysisism".

Conclusions:

• Analytical consequentialism offers a unified approach to efficiency and equity in health economics via QALYs.
• The study highlights the potential for marginalization of non-analytical ethical perspectives.
• It calls for a critical examination of "analysisism" to ensure equitable participation in ethical debates.