Empirical research in bioethical journals. A quantitative analysis

Objectives: The objective of this research is to analyse the evolution and nature of published empirical research in the fields of medical ethics and bioethics. Design: Retrospective quantitative study of nine peer reviewed journals in the field of bioethics and medical ethics (Bioethics, Cambridge...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical ethics 2006-04, Vol.32 (4), p.240-245
Main Authors: Borry, P, Schotsmans, P, Dierickx, K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Analysis
Bioethics
Clinical nursing research
Data collection
Data Collection - methods
empirical ethics
empirical methods in bioethics
Empirical Research
Empiricism
Ethics, Medical
Humans
Medical ethics
Medical journals
Medical research
Observational research
Observational studies
Patients
Periodicals as Topic
Qualitative research
R&D
Research & development
Research Design
Research ethics
Research methodology
Research methods
retrospective quantitative study
Retrospective Studies
Stem cells
Teaching and Learning Ethics
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Summary:Objectives: The objective of this research is to analyse the evolution and nature of published empirical research in the fields of medical ethics and bioethics. Design: Retrospective quantitative study of nine peer reviewed journals in the field of bioethics and medical ethics (Bioethics, Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, Hastings Center Report, Journal of Clinical Ethics, Journal of Medical Ethics, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, Nursing Ethics, Christian Bioethics, andTheoretical Medicine and Bioethics). Results: In total, 4029 articles published between 1990 and 2003 were retrieved from the journals studied. Over this period, 435 (10.8%) studies used an empirical design. The highest percentage of empirical research articles appeared in Nursing Ethics (n=145, 39.5%), followed by the Journal of Medical Ethics (n=128, 16.8%) and the Journal of Clinical Ethics (n=93, 15.4%). These three journals account for 84.1% of all empirical research in bioethics published in this period. The results of the χ2 test for two independent samples for the entire dataset indicate that the period 1997–2003 presented a higher number of empirical studies (n=309) than did the period 1990–1996 (n=126). This increase is statistically significant (χ2=49.0264, p
ISSN:0306-6800
1473-4257
DOI:10.1136/jme.2004.011478