ALLOCATING HEALTH CARE RESOURCES IN CANADA : A Comparison of Nine Case Studies

ISBN-13: 9783639148213 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 300 str.

Roger Chafe

Opis

There is increased focus, both in Canada andinternationally, on the processes by which healthcare resources are allocated. This study examines aset of resource allocation decisions to determine howthese decisions are currently being made. Specifically, the project examines how decisionsinvolving endovascular coiling, MRIs, and poweredupper limb prostheses are made in three Canadianprovinces: Alberta, Newfoundland, and Saskatchewan. The project found that because the processes forallocating resources are often developed through andin response to the unique history and culture of theinstitutions in question, it is difficult to developdecision aids that are applicable over a wide rangeof sites. Maintaining established and familiarprocesses, even those not consistent with the typesof decision aids recommended in the academicliterature, may be the most efficient way ofallocating resources for many organizations. Themain implication of these conclusions is thatimproving the processes for allocating health care resources will likely require more institutionally-specific and area-of-care-specific reforms.

O autorze

holds PhD in Medicine and a MA in Philosophy from
Memorial University of Newfoundland. He is currently a CHSRF-
CIHR postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Health Policy,
Management and Evaluation at the University of Toronto and in the
Cancer Services and Policy Research Unit at Cancer Care
Ontario.