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Health care rationing: nursing perspectives
1Department of Nursing Studies, King's College London, England.
Journal of Advanced Nursing
|October 1, 1995
Summary
Healthcare rationing is a growing concern, impacting nursing ethics and universal access to care. This analysis explores the debate in British and North American nursing literature, highlighting similarities and differences.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Nursing Ethics
- Healthcare Policy
Background:
- Healthcare rationing, focusing on cost control and delivery, is a dominant 1990s agenda item.
- British nursing's ethos of universal access and holistic care faces dilemmas due to rationing debates.
- US nursing discourse on rationing is more advanced, offering insights for the UK.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the parameters of the healthcare rationing debate.
- To analyze how these parameters are reflected in North American and British nursing literature.
- To identify similarities and differences in the nursing perspectives on rationing between the US and UK.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of North American and British nursing publications.
- Comparative analysis of nursing discourse on healthcare rationing.
- Examination of the impact of organizational changes in the National Health Service (NHS).
Main Results:
- The debate on healthcare rationing presents significant challenges to nursing's core values.
- Differences exist in the historical and cultural approaches to healthcare in the US and UK.
- Emerging changes in the NHS mirror issues already confronted by American nurses.
Conclusions:
- British nursing needs to engage more visibly in the healthcare rationing debate.
- Comparative analysis reveals both convergent and divergent factors in nursing' response to rationing.
- Understanding international perspectives can inform UK nursing's approach to resource allocation and ethical challenges.