Can we afford it?: ethical consideration of expensive drug treatment for neonates and infants.
When considering expensive drug treatment for neonates and infants, how should we decide what we can and cannot afford? Accountably allocating health-care resources can be achieved using a framework that reflects the values a society considers so reflective of the collective will that they have been formally entrenched in law. The values and procedural mechanisms entrenched in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms are particularly helpful for those faced with these difficult spending decisions.
Zlotnik Shaul
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Department of Bioethics, The Hospital for Sick Children, University of Toronto Joint Centre for Bioethics, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. randi.zlotnik-shaul@sickkids.ca
Vitale
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D002170:Canada; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D016527:Drug Costs; D033161:Government Regulation; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics; D028701:Patient Rights / Q000941:ethics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D018579:Patient Selection / Q000941:ethics*; D011287:Prejudice; D012945:Social Values; D016896:Treatment Outcome