Quality of life: the contested rhetoric of resource allocation and end-of-life decision making.
The term"quality of life" has a long history in the bioethics literature. It is usually used in one of two contexts: in resource allocation discussions in the hope of arriving at an objective measure of the worth of an intervention; and in end-of-life discussions as a concept that can justify the forgoing of life-sustaining treatment. In both contexts, the term has valid uses as it is meant to measure the efficacy of a treatment. However, the term has the unfortunate rhetorical problem that it often seems to be a judgment on the life of a human being. As such, it is highly inflammatory. We suggest that a return to a rhetoric that suggests a judgment on the treatment rather than the person is needed.
Nantais
David
D
Weston Jesuit School of Theology, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA. nantaisd@udmercy.edu
Kuczewski
Mark
M
D000368:Aged; D003657:Decision Making / Q000941:ethics*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007600:Judgment / Q000941:ethics*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019057:Quality-Adjusted Life Years; D040841:Resource Allocation / Q000941:ethics*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000523:psychology*