In healthcare, each employee has a dual responsibility when it comes to the allocation of resources. Of primary concern is the welfare of the patients served. However, it is also important to consider the well-being of the organization. Therefore, both quality and cost must be considered when ordering, dispensing, or using resources during job performance. Be careful not to waste resources but use what is needed to ensure patient safety. As one trusted resource states, "When a trade-off exists between cost and quality (of testing reagents or analyzers, for example), ethical issues may need to be considered: What is best for patients generally? How can the most good be done with the available resources?"3
3. Rifai, N, Horvath AR, Wittwer CT. Tietz Fundamentals of Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Diagnostics. 8th ed., Elsevier, 2019.
