Table 1.

Methods of clinical ethics research

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