Runtime: 2021-2023
Client: National Health Care Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland)
Project description
The Dutch National Health Care Institute (Zorginstituut Nederland) has a structural academic collaboration with the Erasmus School of Health, Policy, and Management (ESHPM) at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. From a standpoint of evidence-based policy making, these collaborations aim for applied scientific research on regulatory issues. As part of this collaboration, a project called ‘Quantifying health gain of health care interventions to inform policy making’ started in 2021. This project aims to evaluate the prioritization of care in times of scarcity.
Resources in healthcare (such as money, personnel, and capacity) are scarce. Maintaining a high-quality healthcare system that is affordable and accessible to everyone therefore requires prioritization and decision-making. Researchers from Erasmus MC have developed a decision model during the COVID-19 pandemic to support these choices with quantitative information. With the help of this information, treatment strategies can be compared.
The aim of this project is to prioritize both surgical and non-surgical interventions using this decision model. The health benefits of different interventions are calculated using this model. With this outcome measure, interventions can be prioritized in a transparent and objective manner.
In addition, we are interested in citizens' perspectives on the use of this model in practice. To increase the legitimacy of such models, it is important to have a good understanding of the normative and ethical considerations and dilemmas that citizens face when asked to prioritize interventions. This will provide insight into what causes citizens to deviate from the transparent and objective manner of prioritization proposed by the decision model.
These outcomes are then evaluated with various stakeholders (policymakers, doctors, citizens). The outcome of this project can support policymakers in prioritizing healthcare.
Team
Dr. Vivian Reckers-Droog, Thomas Reindersma (PhD candidate), dr. Bert de Graaff, Prof. dr. Werner Brouwer
In collaboration with Erasmus Medical Center: Prof. dr. Hester Lingsma (Erasmus MC), Prof. dr. Rob Baatenburg de Jong (Erasmus MC), dr. Esmee Venema (Erasmus MC), Anouk van Alphen (PhD candidate, Erasmus MC).