Presented by

Dr. Mohamed Amin

Clinician patient communication in relation to fasting during Ramadan: Perspectives from the US and Egypt

Dr. Mohamed Amin, Dr. Ahmed Abdelmageed, Ms. Marwa Farhat

Beirut Arab University

mohamedezzat21@gmail.com

Fasting during the month of Ramadan is a basic pillar of Islam. While patients may be religiously exempted from fasting, literature indicates that the majority decide to fast. Caring for millions of Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan can be challenging for clinicians around the globe. This presentation will provide an overview of findings from two projects addressing the issue that were conducted with physicians, pharmacists and patients in the US and Egypt. In the first study, clinicians’ perspectives on factors affecting care provided to Muslim patients who decide to fast during Ramadan were explored through qualitative methods. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of clinicians in Egypt (11) and the US (10). Framework analysis was conducted through mapping data to constructs within Social Cognitive Theory. Beliefs were mapped into clinician’s belief in ability to care for those patients, belief in group’s ability to provide care, anticipated consequences of providing such care, knowledge, learning by observing other clinicians, cultural norms and perceived acceptability and prevalence of care provision, environmental barriers and opportunities, and communication approach.

In the second study, perspectives of patients in the US (8) and Egypt (9) on factors influencing communication with clinicians about fasting during Ramadan were explored to augment findings from the first study. Data from interviews were mapped into the Linguistic Model of Patient Participation in Care (LMOPPC). Findings were clustered into predisposing factors (perceptions about fasting and its significance; prior experiences including prior conversations with clinicians on fasting and experience of fasting while sick; personality and locus of control; belief in legitimacy of participation; motivations and perception of need to communicate about fasting; provider verbal and nonverbal responses and provider patient rapport) and enabling factors (knowledge about the topic and repertoire of communicative skills; presence of companions and timing of appointments).

Clinicians and patients provided valuable perceptions on challenges and opportunities for caring for Muslim patients considering fasting during Ramadan. These perceptions should be considered by different stakeholders to facilitate goal-concordant care for Muslim patients considering fasting.