Older people's reasoning about age-related prioritization in health care.
The aim of this study was to describe the reasoning of people aged 60 years and over about prioritization in health care with regard to age and willingness to pay. Healthy people (n = 300) and people receiving continuous care and services (n = 146) who were between 60 and 101 years old were interviewed about their views on prioritization in health care. The transcribed interviews were analysed using manifest and latent qualitative content analysis. The participants' reasoning on prioritization embraced eight categories: feeling secure and confident in the health care system; being old means low priority; prioritization causes worries; using underhand means in order to be prioritized; prioritization as a necessity; being averse to anyone having precedence over others; having doubts about the distribution of resources; and buying treatment requires wealth.
Werntoft
Elisabet
E
Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, PO Box 157, SE-221 00 Lund, Sweden. elisabet.werntoft@med.lu.se
Hallberg
Ingalill R
IR
Edberg
Anna-Karin
AK
D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000533:Altruism; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000941:ethics; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006292:Health Priorities / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000458:organization & administration; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D011287:Prejudice; D028662:Principle-Based Ethics; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012935:Social Justice / Q000191:economics / Q000941:ethics; D012945:Social Values; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D013850:Thinking; D035502:Trust; D035501:Uncertainty