Table 1 Methods of clinical ethics research
Theoretical | Â |
   → | Philosophy (e.g., How should decisions on setting priorities be made legitimate |
| Â | and fair?) |
   → | Theology (e.g., What Catholic values should guide decisions on setting priorities |
| Â | in Catholic hospitals?) |
   → | Law (e.g., What practices in setting priorities in a regional health authority might |
| Â | constitute discrimination?) |
   → | Policy (e.g., What policy should governments follow in funding new technologies |
| Â | in medicine?) |
Empirical | Â |
   → | Social sciences (e.g., How do regional health authorities in developing countries |
| Â | make decisions on setting priorities?) |
   → | Decision analysis (e.g., How do you trade-off considerations of equity and |
| Â | efficiency in decisions on setting priorities?) |
   → | Clinical epidemiology (e.g., What are the criteria used to allocate liver |
| Â | transplants?) |
   → | Health services research (e.g., How does the delivery of cardiac surgery vary by |
| Â | patient gender or ethnicity?) |