In recent years concerns over the use of results of scientific advances, expectations about how medical decisions are made, and demographic changes have raised ethical questions about how resources are allocated, and how the principles of beneficence, and respect for patient autonomy are applied. The effect that bioethics can have on policy decisions and health care delivery demand an enhanced approach to our understanding of such complex issues. This volume opens a window to how empirical social research can be used to illuminate and answer such quandaries and offers a practical resource for...