Abstract
BackgroundThe festival of Ramadan is a month of spiritual reflection for Muslims worldwide. During Ramadan, Muslims are required to refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. Although exempted from fasting, many patients undergoing maintenance haemodialysis (HD) opt to participate in this religious practice. Many studies have explored the effects of Ramadan on health outcomes, however, the exploration from patients’ own point of view pertaining to this religious practice is lacking. Thus, we aimed to explore the experiences and perceptions of Muslim HD patients observing Ramadan fasting from three HD centres in Klang Valley, Malaysia.MethodAn exploratory phenomenology qualitative study was conducted whereby subjects were purposively selected based on previous experience in observing Ramadan fasting. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted, and study data were analyzed thematically and iteratively coded using a constant comparison method.ResultsFour major themes emerged from the data, namely: (i) “fasting experiences”, (ii) “perceived side effects of fasting”, (iii) “health-seeking behavior” and, (iv) “education and awareness needs”. Patients expressed the significance of Ramadan fasting as well as the perceived impact of fasting on their health. Additionally, there is lack of health-seeking behaviour observed among patients thus, raising needs for awareness and education related to Ramadan fasting.ConclusionsFindings of this study shed light on patients’ experiences and perceptions regarding Ramadan fasting which warrants the needs for an effective communication between patients and health care practitioners through a structured-Ramadan specific education program.
Highlights
The festival of Ramadan is a month of spiritual reflection for Muslims worldwide
There is lack of healthseeking behaviour observed among patients raising needs for awareness and education related to Ramadan fasting
Findings of this study shed light on patients’ experiences and perceptions regarding Ramadan fasting which warrants the needs for an effective communication between patients and health care practitioners through a structured-Ramadan specific education program
Summary
The festival of Ramadan is a month of spiritual reflection for Muslims worldwide. During Ramadan, Muslims are required to refrain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. During Ramadan, Muslims are required to fast during daylight with smoking, eating and drinking including taking medication as well as engaging in sexual activities being prohibited [1]. As Ramadan is observed as a month of spiritual reflection, faith and unity, there is high motivation to fasting as an act of religious obligation, even for those who are sick and automatically exempted [2]. In view of the Islamic legal position regarding fasting and HD, there are opposing views of Islamic jurists whether the HD procedure could nullify fasting [3]. The insertion of needle at the fistula during HD does not nullify fasting because it is not administered into the body through its open orifices which reaches the stomach and causes one to feel full [5]
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