Patient Care During Ramadan: A Narrative Review

Autor: M. Nadir Bhuiyan, Rayya A. Saadiq, Michael R. Mueller, Ahmed D. Abdalrhim, Joshua Overgaard
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2024
Předmět:
Zdroj: Health Services Research & Managerial Epidemiology, Vol 11 (2024)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2333-3928
23333928
DOI: 10.1177/23333928241266041
Popis: Ramadan is the Islamic holy month when Muslims around the world fast from dawn to sunset. This 30-day pattern of intermittent diurnal fasting can have a significant physiologic impact on the body. Importantly, oral intake is forbidden during this time, and many patients do not wish to take medications. From a clinical perspective, this potentially impacts healthcare delivery and chronic disease states. Despite these important changes, awareness of individual patient practices remains limited among healthcare providers in North America, which may worsen health disparities in Muslim patients. A fundamental understanding of the cultural and physiological implications of fasting during Ramadan can improve cultural competence and patient outcomes. In this paper, we review the physiologic changes during fasting, medical exemptions to fasting, and special considerations for the care of Muslim patients with chronic conditions who may fast during Ramadan.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals