ECONOMIC-ASPECTS OF THE CARE OF PATIENTS IN THE VEGETATIVE STATE

The raising of economic issues related to the care of patients in the vegetative state (V.S.) is troublesome to both health-care practitione rs and to the public opinion, given the general perception that econom ics and ethics are incompatible. The main purpose of this article is t o show that economic considerations are not merely reconcilable with e thical concerns, they nourish, enrich, and complement them. Three area s of intersection between ethics and economics are described: economic considerations can help bring to the surface the choices involved in decision-making, whether they are explicit or not; these consideration s are a natural outgrowth of a well thought-out ethical approach; an e conomic analysis can accommodate and lake into consideration ethical c riteria. The second part presents the results of a study conducted in France between 1987 and 1993 which attempted to evaluate the costs of hospital care of comatose patients hospitalized for short and medium t erm periods. The article concludes with an examination of the economic issues that may be raised in future debates about how much effort sho uld be expended in the care of patients afflicted by V.S.