Hidden bedside rationing happens in the Netherlands
16 March 2021
Hidden bedside rationing (meaning withholding beneficial care for cost reasons) happens in the Netherlands, according to new research led by Ursula de Ruijter (Erasmus University Medical Centre). The Law Centre for Health & Life’s Co-Director, Johan Legemaate (AUMC/UvA), was part of the research team that found patient choice in care is limited on occasion, and this is not always disclosed to the patient.
Hidden bedside rationing, is problematic because it may result in conflicting loyalties for physicians, unfair inequality among patients and illegitimate distribution of resources.
The research team undertook a survey of 203 physicians to establish whether bedside rationing occurs in the Netherlands, whether it qualifies as hidden and what physician characteristics are associated with its practice. Their study is published in BMC Health Services Research.