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A note on the relative importance that people attach to different factors when setting priorities in health care
1Sheffield Health Economics Group, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. rls5@york.ac.uk
Objective:
To explore whether and to what extent people wish to give differential priority when asked to choose between providing health care treatment for different individuals or groups, on the basis of a range of factors, ranging from health gain to the number of dependants a person has.
Design:
A sample of people resident in York self-completed a questionnaire.
Setting:
The City of York.
Participants:
Twenty-three members of the general public and 29 undergraduate students.
Main Outcome Measures:
The relative importance of factors that people think should be taken into account when choosing between providing health care treatment for individuals or groups.
Results:
The results suggest that health gain and the consequences for health without treatment are two of the most important considerations.
Conclusions:
A sample of the general public and undergraduate students wish to take account of a number of personal characteristics when setting priorities in health care.