Attitudes towards health care priorities : a pilot study in Canterbury, New Zealand

Type of content
Theses / Dissertations
Publisher's DOI/URI
Thesis discipline
Political Science
Degree name
Master of Arts
Publisher
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
English
Date
2004
Authors
Kenning, Fiona E.
Abstract

Health care decison-making has always involved some people missing out on vital services. Therefore this thesis examines the attitudes of doctors and the general public in the Canterbury region towards health care prioritisation. It explores the opinions of these two key stakeholders in health care to recommend direction for future resource allocation within health care. This thesis begins with a history of health care policy in New Zealand and comments on the current system. This provides a comprehensive background to launch into health care policy and theory. The role of the public in health care rationing is highlighted and is the crux of this thesis. Following this, the investigation utilises a self-administered mail out survey and the key findings are revealed. The focus of the analysis is primarily on the similarities and differences in opinions of the two groups. There is a case study on the elderly whereby the issues surrounding the potential pressure the health care system will be_ under with the proportion of the elderly population on the increase. The results from the survey complement the history and theory of health policy, by developing the role of doctors and the public in discussing health policy. The results reveal an overall congruence in opinion between doctors and the public, and their attitudes reveal that prioritising health care using the platform that the person is elderly is unacceptable. This thesis will help health care policy makers in Canterbury to create policy supported by the public and doctors. It also suggests that the public should be involved in decisions, as both doctors and the public responded that the public should have a role in deliberating health policy.

Description
Citation
Keywords
Public health administration--New Zealand--Canterbury, Physicians--New Zealand--Canterbury--Attitudes, Public health administration--New Zealand--Canterbury--Public opinion, Health planning--New Zealand--Canterbury, Medical policy--New Zealand--Canterbury
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
Rights
All Rights Reserved