Older people's views of prioritization in health care.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate and compare older people's views of prioritization in health care with specific regard to age, gender and HRQoL.


METHODS
The sample was collected from a prospective longitudinal cohort study, the GAS project (Good Ageing in Skane) that is in progress in Sweden. For this study, 902 persons, 424 men and 478 women, aged between 60 and 93 years, were invited consecutively over a period of 17 months to participate in an additional structured interview based on an interview manual. Socio-demographic and HRQoL data were collected from the GAS project. For the analysis, the sample was divided into age groups: young-old, old-old, and oldest-old.


RESULTS
Older people in general did not want age as a criterion for prioritization in health care. When pain was added as a criterion, age became even less important than when it was the sole criterion. The oldest-old, to a higher degree than the other age groups, prioritized younger patients, as did men, while women, more than men, preferred "old age" as an indicator for prioritization. The respondents' views on prioritization were also more associated with age and gender than HRQoL.


CONCLUSIONS
Older people's views of priorities seem to differ from previous population-based studies, in that age per se as a criterion for selection between patients was not favored; health and wellbeing were more important. Differences were, however, found within the group of older people, as regards both age and gender.
Werntoft
Elisabet
E
Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden. elisabet.werntoft@med.lu.se
Hallberg
Ingalill Rahm
IR
Elmståhl
Sölve
S
Edberg
Anna-Karin
AK
D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018672:Community Health Planning; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006292:Health Priorities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011639:Public Opinion; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013548:Sweden