An empirical study of the fairness of allocation of health care resources

Abstract

Allocation decisions of health care resources in clinical settings may soon be considered social issues in Japan because the demand for efficiency has been increasing and medical technology has made advances. To examine this, we carried out social research focusing on community residents and medical professionals on the fairness of the allocation of health care resources. The results are as follows :

i) For resource allocation, in general, equality principles seem to be widely accepted.

ii) However, some parts of the results may indicate utilitarianism; specifically, in terms of those health care services which relate directly to life and death, as opposed to those, which do not.

iii) Concerning the criteria for resource allocation, “age” and “the role/position in family” are highly supported.

iv) Social status, occupation, and the degree of social contribution (i. e., volunteer) are not generally accepted as criteria.