Johnasson, C.; Axelsson, B. & Thesis

Analytical and Interpretative Preciseness

The small number of participants and open-endedness of the focus groups also led to a degree of imprecision in the analysis and interpretation of the study's results, but this was expected and even sought to a degree by the researchers (Johansson et al. 2006). One of the primary findings of the study was "that the patients used individual strategies to relive pain by emotional and physical distractions," and this is only a base indicator of the individualism expressed by the five participants (Johansson et al. 2006). On the other hand, there was enough agreement among the participants for the researchers to determine five distinct themes around which the discussion in the focus groups revolved, providing perhaps more prescision in the results than hoped for.

Philosophical and Theoretical Connectedness

Throughout this research article, the theoretical and philosophical connections of the study to the larger practice of medicine is made abundantly clear. The question is essentially a philosophical one, attempting to determine the outlook and perspective of near-end-of-life patients. Certain beliefs regarding pain management were reassessed, as was the previously documented search for ordinariness in life in chronically ill women: "our study shows the opposite; that is, the patient did not have to struggle to live as usual" (Johansson et al. 2006). The attitudes of the participants and the various sources they cited for helping to improve their quality of life in this period suggest a reevaluation of patient's general attitudes towards death and dying.Heuristic Relevance

Some of the findings of this study, especially the level of comfort that the participants generally displayed with their condition and status as terminally ill, seem initially counter-intuitive. The proposed explanations for such findings, and for the discrepancies shown with the existing body of knowledge, alleviate this tension to some degree, however. Still, the fact that the sample size was only five patients suggests that immediate applicability of this study and its findings is not prudent. The study is very relevant in the questions it raises concerning the perception of quality of life and the factors that create it. The discussions and responses of the participants in this study, as measured, classified, evaluated, and presented by the authors of the article, are hugely important for all medical end-of-life scenarios, and especially in the treatment of patients with terminal cancer. Though more research is needed to determine exactly what practices and perspectives are most useful in the majority of cases, this study provides an excellent place to start the search for new answers and the improvement of end-of-life care.

Conclusion

In assessing something as subjective as the quality of life, especially in highly sensitive times such as the end of life, will necessarily involve a large amount of gray area. In attempting to better understand this aspect of care, this study helps to promote better medical practices and….....