Physicians at the Bedside: Practitioners' Thoughts and Actions Regarding Bedside Allocation of Resources

Abstract

A medical student doing a research project at the Hastings Center addressed the issue of how socioeconomic considerations influence physician decision making in routine patient care. He interviewed 15 people, including cardiothoracic surgeons, medical educators, private practitioners, medical students and educators, and two dentists. His questions focused on the subjective or extra-clinical criteria used in the respondents' clinical allocation decisions, the concern for and priority of society in their daily practice, and the concerns and priority of their medical practice in their daily life. He concluded that most everyday allocation decisions are made tacitly, with nonbiomedical criteria playing a role even in decisions that appear to have been intended to be impartial. (KIE abstract)