Rationing Limited Health Care Resources in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond: Ethical Considerations Regarding Older Adults

Date of Review: July, 2021

Farrell TW, Francis L, Brown T, Ferrante LE, Widera E, Rhodes R, Rosen T, Hwang U, Witt LJ, Thothala N, Liu SW, Vitale CA, Braun UK, Stephens C, Saliba D. Rationing Limited Healthcare Resources in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond: Ethical Considerations Regarding Older Adults. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2020 Jun;68(6):1143-1149. doi: 10.1111/jgs.16539. PMID: 32374466; PMCID: PMC7267288.

This article discusses the ethical considerations for rationing limited healthcare resources using age as a determining factor, criteria with a differential impact on older adults, and how resource allocation strategies can impact racial/ethnic disparities among older adults. This is an important article to conceptualize how to counter ageism within medical decision making around rationing limited healthcare resources.—Erin Goss, MD