A study that raises more questions

Indeed, research should always raise more questions but check this out:

By Elizabeth Cooney, Globe Correspondent | March 18, 2009
Patients who rely heavily on their religious faith to cope with terminal cancer are more likely to receive intensive life-prolonging measures in their last week of life, Boston researchers reported yesterday.

...

About 80 percent of the patients said they used religion to some extent to cope with their illness and more than half said they prayed, meditated, or engaged in religious study daily. More than 30 percent said their faith was the most important thing that kept them going.

[Emphasis mine]

I would love to know more about the content of their theology and the choices they make, especially when I read this paragraph:

The patients who leaned the most heavily on their faith were nearly three times more likely to choose and receive more aggressive care near death, such as ventilators or cardiopulmonary resuscitation. They were less likely to have advanced care planning in place, such as do-not-resuscitate orders, living wills, and healthcare proxies.

What does their faith teach them about God, about death, and about who they are? What roles do fear and trust play in their faith?

Gotta wonder.
--the BB