title: Whom to treat first, and how much is enough? Ethical dilemmas that physical therapists confront as they compare individual patients' needs for treatment.
abstract: When there is a scarcity of resources (therapists, modalities), the physical therapist must make decisions about whom to treat and why. This paper discusses ethical dilemmas confronting the therapist and addresses solutions based on approaches of procedural justice and distributive justice.
authors.affiliation: Creighton University.
authors.forename: R B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Purtilo
mesh_terms: D026686:Beneficence; D004995:Ethics, Professional; D005260:Female; D015276:Health Care Rationing; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D040841:Resource Allocation; D012935:Social Justice; D013673:Technology Assessment, Biomedical; D014481:United States; D014850:Waiting Lists