title: Age as a criterion for setting priorities in health care? A survey of the German public view.
abstract: Although the German health care system has budget constraints similar to many other countries worldwide, a discussion on prioritization has not gained the attention of the public yet. To probe the acceptance of priority setting in medicine, a quantitative survey representative for the German public (n = 2031) was conducted. Here we focus on the results for age, a highly disputed criterion for prioritizing medical services. This criterion was investigated using different types of questionnaire items, from abstract age-related questions to health care scenarios, and discrete choice settings, all performed within the same sample. Several explanatory variables were included to account for differences in preference; in particular, interviewee's own age but also his or her sex, socioeconomic status, and health status. There is little evidence that the German public accepts age as a criterion to prioritize health care services.
authors: School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Jacobs University, Bremen, Germany. a.diederich@jacobs-university.de
authors: Adele
authors: A
authors: Diederich
authors: Jeannette
authors: J
authors: Winkelhage
authors: Norman
authors: N
authors: Wirsik
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003625:Data Collection; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006292:Health Priorities / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult