Access to biomedical technology: bioethics perspective of Portuguese nurses

Abstract

Nowadays, industrialized societies are characterized by the lower birth rate, increase in ageing population and increase in chronic and degenerative diseases. An increase in health care expenditures is seen, observing financing issues. Concepts such as health care sector technological assessment and the implementation of criteria for resource allocation are seen as possibilities for solving this problem. Aiming at identifying and addressing the ethic principals and other factors related to health care policy, that might or not limit the decision to have access to biomedical technology and for this purpose, a survey was done. We concluded that nurses consider that health technology assessment should be carried out, and so should an evaluation of the results arising from their use. The universality of access and equality of opportunities must be guaranteed. Access to technology should be decided by the professional, justifying the paternalism and implicit rationing. They refute the practice of dysthanasia.