Sammanfattning
With the increasing number of older people in the future, it will be important to focus on ethical
challenges in health care and how these challenges could be met.
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the ethical challenges healthcare professionals
experience as a consequence of the way health services are organised and how to meet these
challenges for older people in a Norwegian municipality. A qualitative approach was used. It was
completed 15 focus-group interviews with healthcare professionals to explore their experiences in
relation to the ethical challenges when meeting the elderly patient. The interview text was analysed
using qualitative content analysis. In the analysis three main categories emerged: «Displacement»,
«Frames and structure», and «A mismatch between needs and services», with the common overall
theme: «Challenges related to the best efficient level of care». To ensure good ethical care to older
patients is it essential to create an appropriate environment with adequate time, transparency and
continuity. The study shows that health care is a demanding ethical tension between patient care and
efficiency requirements.