Abstract
Background
Care for people with progressive illness should be person centered and account for
their cultural values and spiritual beliefs. There are an estimated 1.7 billion Muslims
worldwide, largely living in low-income and middle-income countries.
Aims
This study aimed to identify, appraise, and integrate the evidence for the experiences
and preferences of Muslim patients and/or families for end-of-life care in Muslim-majority
countries.
Design
Systematic review.
Data sources
PsychINFO, MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health, CINAHL, Cochrane Library and Registry of
Clinical Trials, PubMed, Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts (ASSIA), Social
Services Abstracts, Sociological Abstracts, Social Policy & Practice, and Scopus were
searched until December 2018. Handsearching was performed, and gray literature was
included. Qualitative studies analyzed using thematic analysis and quantitative component
provided triangulation.
Results
The initial search yielded n = 5098 articles, of which n = 30 met the inclusion criteria. A total of 5342 participants (4345 patients; 81.3%)
were included; 97.6% had advanced cancer. Most (n = 22) studies were quantitative. Three themes and subthemes from qualitative studies
were identified using thematic analysis: selflessness (burden to others and caregiver
responsibilities), ambivalence (hope and hopelessness), and strong beliefs in Islam
(beliefs in death and afterlife and closeness to Allah). Qualitative studies reported
triangulation; demonstrating conflicts in diagnosis disclosure and total pain burden
experienced by both patients and families.
Conclusion
Despite the scarce evidence of relatively low quality, the analysis revealed core
themes. To achieve palliative care for all in line with the total pain model, beliefs
must be identified and understood in relation to decision-making processes and practices.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: July 10, 2020
Accepted:
June 19,
2020
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
