Healthcare professionals knowledge, attitude, practices and perspectives providing care to Muslims in Western countries who fast during Ramadan: a scoping review.

Take home message 

• Healthcare professionals in Western countries often lack adequate knowledge and comfort in providing culturally safe care to Muslims fasting during Ramadan.
• There is a substantial need to enhance curriculums and training for healthcare professionals in Western countries to enhance equitable care for Muslims.

Background

• Islam is the fastest growing religion worldwide, with over 1.8 billion participating in a spiritual month called Ramadan. Muslims fast from food and beverages from dawn to dusk for 29-30 days annually, to celebrate Ramadan.
• It is important that Muslims eat well during the non-fasting hours, to stay hydrated and obtain adequate energy intake to support physical activity while fasting. Healthcare providers must provide care in a manner that promotes cultural safety – where the client feels safe when they receive care.
• However, it is unknown whether healthcare professionals feel knowledgeable, comfortable, or have experience providing care to Muslims who fast during Ramadan. Therefore, to determine what is currently known, we wrote a review of the articles published on healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitude, practices, and perspectives on providing culturally safe care to Muslims who fast during Ramadan.

How the study was done 

• Four databases were searched using words that were relevant to the main topic of healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitude, practices, and perspectives on providing care during Ramadan.
• To determine if the articles were relevant to our topic, the articles were reviewed by two reviewers.
• Articles were included in the review if the research focused on healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitude, practices, or perspectives regarding providing culturally safe care to Muslims who fast during Ramadan in Western countries, where Muslims are not a majority group.
• The reviewers read 42 full articles, of which eight articles were deemed relevant and were included in the review.

What the researchers found 

• The results demonstrate that there are limited studies in Western countries, specifically in Canada, regarding healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitude, and practices providing care to Muslims who fast during Ramadan.
• There are also limited studies with a variety of healthcare professionals, including dietitians.
• Healthcare professionals had some knowledge of Ramadan fasting practices, however many felt uncomfortable providing care and reported having limited access to appropriate resources.
• Findings from our review highlight the need for further research and investigation on healthcare professionals’ knowledge, attitude, and practices, intervention strategies, as well as what Muslims expect and need from healthcare professionals during Ramadan.
• Findings from our review highlighted what research is available and what research may be missing in order for healthcare professionals to provide safe care.

Conclusion

• The impact of providing culturally safe care to Muslims directly relates to Muslims having access to care that is fair, acceptable, and appropriate to their individual needs.
• Determining the baseline knowledge, attitude, and practices of various healthcare professionals can help researchers understand what healthcare professionals currently know and what educational training and interventions are needed, if any, to enhance the quality of care provided to Muslims who fast during Ramadan.
• Healthcare professionals in Western countries often lack adequate knowledge and comfort in providing culturally safe care to Muslims who fast during Ramadan.
• There is a substantial need to enhance curriculums and training for healthcare professionals in Western countries on providing safe care to Muslims during Ramadan.