Commentary on “Influence of Intestinal Stoma

Baldwin et al. (2008) used a mixed-methodsresearch design in their study on the influence of intestinal stoma on the spiritual quality of life of U.S. veterans. They used the City of Hope Quality of Life– Ostomy Specific (COHQOL-O) survey instrument, which included four domains: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. Participants from the highest and lowest scorers on this instrument were then invited to participate in focus groups that further explored the four domains. This report provides an overview of the findings of this survey and selected exemplars from the participants ’ accounts regarding six of the items of the spiritual domain of this instrument. The 239 participants who completed the survey were fro