The hospital: battleground or meeting place? Ethical considerations regarding a fair distribution of new medical technologies.

Abstract

Here, the notion of distributive justice is explored in relation to the introduction and the application of new medical technologies within the clinical setting. The point of departure is that, in the decision making process on what is necessary and fair in patient care, participants will mobilize different ethical models to justify their outlooks and interests. The history of the introduction of Taxol (paclitaxel) is used as an illustration. In the hospital, it is important to make a clear distinction between the moral obligations of the physician and those of the chief executive officer (medical director). Finally, a model is proposed that could help to develop a better moral understanding on the meso-level about what is necessary and fair in distributing the results of medical innovations, without turning the clinic into a battleground of moral interests.