Age and the allocation of medical resources.
How are we to decide where our scarce medical resources are most effectively spent? The notion of a quality-adjusted-life-year has been proposed as a way of doing this. Some economists appear to think that this can be done without making ethical assumptions. We examine the application of this notion to the treatment of premature newborns, and especially to comparisons between the value of medical care for newborns, and the value of medical care for older people. We find that some highly questionable ethical assumptions are involved in such comparisons.
Kuhse
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H
Centre for Human Bioethics, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia.
Singer
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P
D000368:Aged; D033421:Beginning of Human Life; D003363:Cost Control / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D006295:Health Resources / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D006801:Humans; D019369:Life; D008020:Life Support Care / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018579:Patient Selection; D028723:Personhood; D011788:Quality of Life; D040841:Resource Allocation; D012941:Social Responsibility; D012945:Social Values; D014481:United States; D026712:Value of Life