BMC Medical Ethics 20 (1):1-8 (2019)
Abstract |
Background There is growing interest in the use and incorporation of empirical data in bioethics research. Much of the recent focus has been on specific “empirical bioethics” methodologies, which attempt to integrate the empirical and the normative. Researchers in the field are, however, beginning to explore broader questions, including around acceptable standards of practice for undertaking such research. The framework: In this article, we further widen the focus to consider the overall shape of an empirical bioethics research project. We outline a framework that identifies three key phases of such research, which are conveyed via a landscaping metaphor of Mapping-Framing-Shaping. First, the researcher maps the field of study, typically by undertaking literature reviews. Second, the researcher frames particular areas of the field of study, exploring these in depth, usually via qualitative research. Finally, the researcher seeks to shape the terrain by issuing recommendations that draw on the findings from the preceding phases. To qualify as empirical bioethics research, the researcher will utilise a methodology that seeks to bridge these different elements in order to arrive at normative recommendations. We illustrate the framework by citing examples of diverse projects which broadly adopt the three-phase framework. Amongst the strengths of the framework are its flexibility, since it does not prescribe any specific methods or particular bridging methodology. However, the framework might also have its limitations, not least because it appears particularly to capture projects that involve qualitative – as opposed to quantitative – research. Conclusions Despite its possible limitations, we offer the Mapping-Framing-Shaping framework in the hope that this will prove useful to those who are seeking to plan and undertake empirical bioethics research projects.
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DOI | 10.1186/s12910-019-0428-0 |
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References found in this work BETA
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Standards of Practice in Empirical Bioethics Research: Towards a Consensus.Jonathan Ives, Michael Dunn, Bert Molewijk, Jan Schildmann, Kristine Bærøe, Lucy Frith, Richard Huxtable, Elleke Landeweer, Marcel Mertz, Veerle Provoost, Annette Rid, Sabine Salloch, Mark Sheehan, Daniel Strech, Martine de Vries & Guy Widdershoven - 2018 - BMC Medical Ethics 19 (1):68.
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Citations of this work BETA
The Ethical Implications of Verbal Autopsy: Responding to Emotional and Moral Distress.Sassy Molyneux, Marylene Wamukoya, Amek Nyaguara, Vicki Marsh & Alex Hinga - 2021 - BMC Medical Ethics 22 (1):1-16.
Dialysis Decisions Concerning Cognitively Impaired Adults: A Scoping Literature Review.Jonathan Ives & Jordan A. Parsons - 2021 - BMC Medical Ethics 22 (1):1-17.
Implementation Science and Bioethics: Lessons From European Empirical Bioethics Research?Jonathan Ives, Giles Birchley & Richard Huxtable - 2020 - American Journal of Bioethics 20 (4):80-82.
Constructing Authentic Decisions: Proxy Decision Making for Research Involving Adults Who Lack Capacity to Consent.Victoria Shepherd, Mark Sheehan, Kerenza Hood, Richard Griffith & Fiona Wood - 2021 - Journal of Medical Ethics 47 (12):42-42.
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