VORTRAG: Age and frailty as considerations in resource allocation in health care

Vortrag
Age and frailty as considerations in resource allocation in health care

Zeit: 21. Januar 2025, 16:15-17:45 Uhr
Ort: Seminarraum EGM (Humboldtallee 36)

Vortragender: Prof. Dr. Søren Holm (University of Manchester, Großbritannien)
Veranstalter: Institute of Advanced Studies for Ethics of the Sciences
 

Abstract:

Using chronological age as a direct criterion in resource allocation decisions about individuals in health care would be illegal in many countries under equality legislation that prohibits age discrimination. On the other hand one of the prominent resource allocation tools the Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) is arguably indirectly discriminatory against the old, who have fewer life years to gain, or fewer life years in which to experience an increase in quality of life, than the young if treated effectively for the same condition. But, QALYs are not intended to be used in decision-making about individuals, but in allocation decisions between groups. There is also an extensive literature on the ‘fair innings’ argument which is also potentially discriminating against the old.

Because direct age discrimination is illegal proxies for age may be used in decisions under severe resource constraints. In this talk I will briefly outline the development of the technical conception of frailty within gerontology, describe the most common frailty measuring tool, and discuss how frailty has traditionally been used in the geriatric context. In the second half of the talk I will outline some of the problems in using frailty scores to deny patients access to potentially life-saving treatment in contexts of severe resource constraints.

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Für eine online-Teilnahme wird um eine Anmeldung bis zum 19.01.2025 bei jan.hinrichsen(at)med.uni-goettingen.de gebeten.