Recorded presentation

Boaz Lev, MD, MHA¹, Carmel Shalev, JD, PhD², Ahuva Abulafia, LLB², Roei Ben-Moshe, MHA¹, Gabi Bin-Nun, MMHS¹, Nurit Guttman, PhD³, Ronen Goffer, MS⁴, Ilanit Hayut⁵, Giora Kaplan, MA², Anat Oren, PhD³, Hamutal Porat⁴, Orna Tal, MD, MHA¹, and Mordechai Shani, MD². (1) Office of the Associate Director General, Israel Ministry of Health, Rivka 29, Jerusalem, 91010, Israel, (2) Gertner Institute for Epidemiology and Health Policy Research, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, 52621, Israel, (3) Department of Communication, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, 69978, Israel, 972-3-640-9010, guttman@post.tau.ac.il, (4) Haim Zippori Community Education Center, P.O.B 3353, Jerusalem, Israel, (5) Hebrew University School of Public Health, Haddasah Medical Center, Jerusalem, Israel

Background: Consulting the public in difficult policy choices is increasingly viewed as a viable component in healthcare. Strategies are thus needed to recruit diverse populations, engage participants in the deliberation of the issues and their ethical dimensions, for the purpose of producing policy recommendations. Drawing on research, the “Health Parliament” project was developed and implemented as a joint effort between Israeli researchers, government officials and a community education organization.

Methods: Approximately 130 individuals were recruited through a random national sample. They met simultaneously in six regional groups for six five-hour sessions to discuss dilemmas associated with equity and prioritization of publicly-funded medical technologies. Background materials were specially produced. Consultants attended all meetings to answer questions. Ethical dilemma activities were devised to facilitate group discussions. Participants responded to questionnaires before and after their participation.

Results: Healthcare prioritization was a new and daunting challenge for the diverse group of participants who proclaimed they “didn’t want to make life and death choices,” but nonetheless produced detailed recommendations that reflected group majority and minority opinions. Survey findings indicate changes in participants’ opinions in both directions. The recommendations (with surprising perspectives: e.g., the importance of ‘quality of life’ when considering what should be regarded as “life-saving” treatments) were presented to the Minister of Health and senior officials.

Conclusions: Recruiting citizens to deliberate healthcare policy dilemmas can yield insightful recommendations for decision makers and expose the public to their intricacy and the role of ethics in public policy. It poses challenges including how to involve citizens, sustain their participation, convey complex information, and consider ethical dilemmas

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize challenges associated with recruiting the public for a public consultation project on ethical issues in public policy
• Learn about several methods to elicit ethical dilemma discussions in a public consultation process
• Assess different approaches on how to provide information on complex healthcare policy issues for the purpose of public consultation

Keywords: Ethics, Public Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation