Relatives in the resus room: don't overlook the patient!

Health care practitioners are becoming increasingly aware of the ethical dimensions of their work. In response, moves are being made to gather empirical data that serves to inform the decision-making process. Through a brief examination of one piece of empirical work, the author suggests that although such data is undoubtedly of value as a body of evidence to be used within an ethical debate, it can never replace the debate itself. The value of evidence-based practice is well established. The persuasiveness of empirical evidence may be less welcome, however, when presented in isolation of the wider context. Conclusions drawn from such data must be scrutinized from a broad perspective in order to ensure that proposals drawn from them fit soundly with our moral reasoning.