prioriteringskader

Prioriteringskader, or prioritization frameworks, are structured methods used to determine how scarce resources are allocated. They provide explicit criteria, scoring rules, and decision processes that guide the ranking or selection of options such as treatments, services, or research funding.

These frameworks are applied in health care, social services, and public policy to promote fairness, transparency, and efficiency. They help translate values like saving lives, reducing suffering, or protecting the most vulnerable into concrete decisions.

A typical kader comprises criteria, data sources, and a process for scoring and aggregation. Common criteria include the magnitude of health benefit, severity or need, cost-effectiveness or value for money, equity or fairness, urgency, feasibility, and budget impact. Some frameworks also consider patient preferences, societal impact, or opportunity costs. The analysis can be qualitative, quantitative, or use multi-criteria decision analysis.

Implementation usually involves problem formulation, criteria selection, data collection, scoring, rule-based aggregation, and final decisions, often with stakeholder consultation and accountability mechanisms. The approach aims to ensure consistency and legitimacy while remaining adaptable to context and available data.

Benefits include greater transparency and legitimacy in decision making, while challenges include value disagreements, data gaps, potential gaming, and the risk that frameworks entrench existing inequities if not carefully designed. Country-specific applications vary, but prioritization frameworks are a common tool for rationalizing scarce resources.