Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Caring for Muslims

J Palliat Med. 2022 May;25(5):807-812. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2021.0575. Epub 2021 Dec 2.

Abstract

Islam is the fastest-growing religion across the world and in the United States. Adherents of Islam are known as Muslims. Globally, Muslims comprise the second largest religious group with 1.8 billion people, or 24% of the world's population, and range in racial and ethnic diversity.1 As this population continues to grow, palliative care clinicians will invariably care for a Muslim patient therefore making it important to have a basic understanding of values, traditions, and beliefs held by them. This article outlines 10 basic principles held by many Muslim patients and their families that can allow for palliative care to be delivered in a culturally inclusive way. This article should serve as a point of initiation for further exploration of their needs as it is not a comprehensive guide.

Keywords: Islam; Muslim; Qur'an; palliative care; spirituality.

MeSH terms

  • Hospice and Palliative Care Nursing*
  • Humans
  • Islam*
  • Palliative Care
  • United States