Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate empirical research in Turkish medical ethics literature.Method: Data were collected from different sources representing Turkish medical ethics literature. This retrospective and descriptive study included only the medical ethics research reports. All research reports were classified by publication source and year, study topics and samples.Results: A total of 1205 articles were published in Turkish medical ethics literature. The study was performed on 161 empirical researches published between January 1994 and December 2009. The most investigated study topic was patient rights and the most frequent participant group was physicians .Conclusion: Empirical studies in Turkish medical ethics literature have become more noticeable as in general medical ethics literature. Among the most studied three subjects in both ethics literature, informed consent was the common topic. Patients, physicians, nurses and students were the most commonly studied samples of both these literatures