Do health professionals hold different views about healthcare rationing than students? A mixed method study in Portugal [abstract]

Abstract

The scarcity of resources, which characterizes the Portuguese health system, highlights the need for rationing. If rationing seems difficult at the macro level, it becomes hurtful and dramatic at the micro level, when it becomes necessary to prioritize patients. The ethical dilemmas triggered by this reality are related to the definition of the criteria to determine those priorities.