Related Experiment Videos
An overview of allocation and rationing: implications for geriatrics
L G Pawlson1, J J Glover, D J Murphy
1George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
|June 1, 1992
Summary
Healthcare providers face pressure to control costs while high-technology interventions increase. This article explores ethical rationing and allocation of medical care services to create a more reasonable system in the United States.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Health Policy
- Healthcare Economics
Background:
- Geriatricians experience pressure to reduce healthcare costs.
- Demand for costly, high-technology interventions is rising.
- Increasing healthcare spending necessitates cost-control strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To provide an ethical perspective on rationing and allocation of medical care.
- To analyze current implicit rationing and allocation methods.
- To suggest improvements for a more coherent US healthcare allocation system.
Main Methods:
- Ethical analysis of healthcare rationing.
- Review of current allocation practices.
- Exploration of policy suggestions for healthcare resource allocation.
Main Results:
- Current healthcare rationing is largely implicit and unexamined.
- Ethical frameworks can guide allocation decisions.
- A more transparent and reasonable system for rationing and allocation is needed.
Conclusions:
- The US healthcare system requires a more coherent approach to rationing and allocation.
- Ethical considerations are crucial in managing rising healthcare costs.
- Policy development is needed to ensure equitable and sustainable healthcare resource distribution.