What Justifies the Allocation of Health Care Resources to Patients with Disorders of Consciousness?

Abstract

This paper critically engages ethical issues in the allocation of novel, and potentially costly, health care resources to patients with disorders of consciousness. First, we review potential benefits of novel health care resources for patients and their families and outline preliminary considerations to address concerns about cost. We then address two problems regarding the allocation of health care resources to patients with disorders of consciousness: (1) the problem of uncertain moral status; and (2) the problem of accurately measuring the welfare burdens these resources would relieve. We conclude by suggesting that opportunity-based frameworks might complement standard approaches for justifying resources allocation to patients with disorders of consciousness.

Keywords:

• Permanent vegetative state
• coma
• neuroimaging
• brain injury
• consciousness

This article is referred to by:

The Evolving Science of Disorders of Consciousness Calls for an Inclusive Framework for Healthcare Resource Allocation

Empiricism and Rights Justify the Allocation of Health Care Resources to Persons with Disorders of Consciousness

Prospective Benefit plus Moral Status: A Hybrid Model

Disorders of Consciousness and Theories of Well-Being

Emerging Consciousness at a Clinical Crossroads

Precautionary Personhood: We Should Treat Patients with Disorders of Consciousness as Persons

What’s the Appropriate Target of Allocative Justification?

Should We Trust Patient-Reported Outcomes?

Patients with Disorders of Consciousness in the Real World

The Cost of Compassion: Resource Allocation and Disorders of Consciousness

What Justifies the Allocation of Scarce Health Care Resources to Patients with Disorders of Consciousness: Response to Commentaries

DoC and COVID Vaccinations: A Complex Decision

Rationalizing Resources for Disorders of Consciousness Care

What’s So Great about Consciousness?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We thank Professors Jennifer Blumenthal-Barby, Joseph Fins, and Govind Persad for helpful discussion and comments on the ideas contained in this paper.

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

AP and SA are supported by the Greenwall Foundation Faculty Scholars program.