Meera Gajre1, Alastair McClelland2, Adrian Furnham1,3. 1. a Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology and. 2. b Research Department of Experimental Psychology , University College London , London , UK , and. 3. c Norwegian Business School (BI) , Olso , Norway.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This is one of a number of programmatic studies on the allocation of scarce medical resources. AIMS: This study investigated whether certain characteristics about patients influence the priority they are assigned for a scarce mental health treatment. Similar studies for physical treatments have found that young, poor, and mentally healthy patients are given the highest priority. METHOD: Each participant completed one questionnaire where they ranked a list of eight hypothetical patients in order of priority for treatment for anorexia or obesity. The patients varied on three dimensions: age, social class and mental health history. This involved a ranking of prioritisation for treatment. RESULTS: Participants gave the young patients, from a low social class background, who had a mental health history the highest priority for treatment. This is in contrast to previous studies indicating that the mentally unwell are discriminated against. CONCLUSIONS: Participants seemed to be using social class as a proxy measure of ability to pay which they weighted very highly.
BACKGROUND: This is one of a number of programmatic studies on the allocation of scarce medical resources. AIMS: This study investigated whether certain characteristics about patients influence the priority they are assigned for a scarce mental health treatment. Similar studies for physical treatments have found that young, poor, and mentally healthy patients are given the highest priority. METHOD: Each participant completed one questionnaire where they ranked a list of eight hypothetical patients in order of priority for treatment for anorexia or obesity. The patients varied on three dimensions: age, social class and mental health history. This involved a ranking of prioritisation for treatment. RESULTS:Participants gave the young patients, from a low social class background, who had a mental health history the highest priority for treatment. This is in contrast to previous studies indicating that the mentally unwell are discriminated against. CONCLUSIONS:Participants seemed to be using social class as a proxy measure of ability to pay which they weighted very highly.