The School of Athens (Italian: Scuola di Atene) Raphael. Between1509 and 1511
It is thought that their gestures indicate central aspects of their philosophies, for Plato, his Theory of Forms, and for Aristotle, an emphasis on concrete particulars. Many interpret the painting to show a divergence of the two philosophical schools. Plato argues a sense of timelessness whilst Aristotle looks into the physicality of life and the present realm. |
My research
Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are valued in healthcare evaluation for bringing patient perspectives forward, and enabling patient-centered care. The range of evidence permitted by PROMs to measure patients’ quality of life narrowly denies subjective experience. This neglect is rooted in the epistemic assumptions that ground PROMs, and the tension between the standardization (the task of measurement) and the individual and unique circumstances of patients. Based on the nomothetic approach, positivism is the epistemological philosophy underpinning outcome measurement. Inherent in this approach to research is the view that it is possible to measure behavior independent of context, social phenomena are “things” that can be viewed objectively, and researchers can take a “scientific” perspective when observing social behavior. It is in this context that the critics of the research process of translating concepts into empirical indicators that are observable, recordable and measurable in some objective way have bitten the deepest. The focus of my research is the current philosophical orientation underpinning PROM development in which I argue the case for an epistemology based on a mixed methods research paradigm. Click here for more information |