Ethics, health policy-making and the economic crisis: a qualitative interview study with European policy-makers
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Author / Producer
Date
2019
Publication Type
Journal Article
ETH Bibliography
yes
Citations
Altmetric
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Abstract
Background
The economic crisis posed various challenges to policy-makers who had to decide on which health policy measures to focus on and on which to refrain from. The aim of this research was to assess the relevance of ethics and to highlight ethical dimensions in decision-taking by policy-makers with regard to policy and priority-setting in health systems posed by the economic crisis.
Methods
Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with eight European policy-makers from six countries.
Results
All interviewees recalled difficult and strenuous situations where they had to prioritise between distinct areas to focus on and invest in, for example around choices between prioritising medications, health professional staffing, care specific equipment, or urgent infrastructure issues. Values could be identified which they deemed as important within the policy-making process, such as trust and responsibility. They explicitly expressed the need for ethical tools and assistance in terms of policy advice for reaching morally sustainable decisions in health policy matters.
Conclusions
The study showed that ethical concepts and values frequently come into play in health policy-making, and that ethics is highly relevant in policy-makers’ daily decision-taking, yet that they lack ethical guidance on what to base their decisions. The study is of relevance since it can provide future decisions on austerity-related issues with an ethical underpinning and could identify areas of moral concern.
Permanent link
Publication status
published
External links
Editor
Book title
Journal / series
Volume
18
Pages / Article No.
144
Publisher
BMC
Event
Edition / version
Methods
Software
Geographic location
Date collected
Date created
Subject
Policy-makers; Ethics; Austerity; Economic crisis; Decision-making
Organisational unit
09614 - Vayena, Eftychia / Vayena, Eftychia