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Clinical Ethics
Clinical ethics research at Ethox.
In their day-to-day practice, health professionals are called upon to make clinical and value
judgements about which among a range of available options is the best for the particular patient.
Value judgements might include those about which course of action would be in the best interests
of a patient lacking capacity; about the quality of life of patients in intensive care; about whether
in a particular case a foreseeable harm to a third party is sufficiently serious to justify a breach of
patient confidentiality. Good practice requires that decisions about the choice of particular courses
of treatment be justified on the basis of good evidence; it also requires that health professionals
and managers are able to provide good reasons for the value judgements that inform their decisions.
The Ethox Centre has a major research interest in the ethical issues arising in day-to-day clinical
practice and in the management of healthcare organisations.
The Ethox Centre is currently carrying out research into the following issues in clinical ethics:
