Background: Once a year, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan. While fasting has many positive health implications, it may pose risks to individuals with underlying health issues. Despite the exemption from fasting for those who are ill, many Muslims with chronic conditions choose to fast. It is unclear how many Muslim patients receive counseling on fasting. As such, the purpose of this pilot project was to assess the knowledge, perception, and comfort level of primary care physicians (PCPs) at Dalhousie University’s Department of Family Medicine in managing patients choosing to fast during Ramadan. Methods: A 16-item anonymous, self-administered, structured online survey was distributed to PCPs with an academic affiliation with the Department of Family Medicine at Dalhousie University. Participants rated their level of comfort, objective knowledge, and perceptions of managing patients fasting in Ramadan. Results: Many PCPs perceived the importance of understanding Ramadan fasting and its relevance to their patients’ health, however, they did not have adequate knowledge about the matter. The majority of PCPs felt they received inadequate training in this area and did not feel comfortable counseling and managing the health of these patients. Conclusions: The findings of this study have outlined a knowledge gap that exists within our PCP community and will help inform and prioritize educational needs and direct efforts to ensure safe patient management during Ramadan.
Plain language summary: Patients have complained about hospital gowns for years, but little has been done to design a gown that makes people feel less exposed and more comfortable. New designs have been developed, but they have high costs and do not fit within current health care processes and procedures. Our interview-based study gathered the experiences and points of view of a wide range of people involved in the gown's life cycle, from creation to disposal. We interviewed 40 people from 3 main groups: patients and family members; health care workers; and others such as designers, buyers and launderers. All groups felt that gowns are not user friendly. This affects how patients and families feel about their health care experiences. Patients want a gown that is better designed to meet their needs. However, not everyone may benefit from redesigns. For example, different fabrics could result in higher shipping and laundry costs. Everyone involved in the gown's life cycle must work together to create a comfortable and useful gown that does not cost much more to make or look after.T he design of the standard hospital gown is not patient centred. Hospital gowns can convey a sense of exposure, discomfort, disempowerment, embarrassment, reduced self-esteem and compromised dignity. [1][2][3] As a result, governments, researchers, celebrity designers and private health care systems have made efforts to redesign the standard gown to improve patients' experiences. [4][5][6][7] However, design innovations have not been met with substantial market uptake; new designs are still being developed and tested. [8][9][10] Gown studies and redesigns have focused on the needs of patients and clinicians, 1,3,7 resulting in costly products 7 that limit use. 1 Little work has explored the perspectives of other gown stakeholders, such as manufacturers and launderers. 11
Muslims make up a significant portion of the world population, with an estimate of 1.8 billion people as of 2015. According to the 2011 Canadian census, Muslims make up 3.2% of the Canadian population. As future physicians, many of us will encounter Muslims in our practice. Muslims come from different ethnicities and speak different languages. It is, therefore, essential to be conscious of core cultural values and practices commonly held by Muslims. This article will highlight cultural competencies and tips to keep in mind when interacting with Muslim patients.
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