Content of Spiritual Counselling for Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy in Iran: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Psychosocial-spiritual interventions among Muslims undergoing treatment for cancer: an integrative review

Background

Cancer is a global disease that affects all populations, including Muslims. Psychological and spiritual care of Muslim patients with cancer includes psychosocial and spiritual techniques that help to improve their mental health and spiritual well-being. Although these techniques are available to cancer patients worldwide, they are poorly studied among Muslim patients. This review aims to integrate the literature on the psychosocial-spiritual outcomes and perspectives of Muslim patients with cancer who have undergone psychotherapy.

Method

We used the Whittemore and Knafl five-step methodology. We conducted a comprehensive search of PubMed, CINAHL, and PsycINFO using relevant keywords. Studies that focused on adult patients with cancer and on published evidence of using psychosocial and spiritual interventions among Muslim patients were included. Each study was reviewed, evaluated, and integrated.

Results

A systematic search produced 18 studies that were thematically analyzed. Results showed different psychosocial and spiritual approaches currently used to care for Muslim patients with cancer that target mainly patients’ mental health, quality of life, and spiritual well-being. Four major themes emerged: (1) Treating Psychological Distress Without Psychopharmacologic Agents, (2) Improving Knowledge of Cancer for Improving QOL, (3) Depending on Faith for Spiritual Well-being, and (4) Relying on Religious and Spiritual Sources: Letting Go, Letting God.

Conclusions

The rigor of psychosocial and spiritual studies that target psychosocial-spiritual outcomes of Muslim cancer patients needs to be improved to reach conclusive evidence about their efficacy in this population.

Integration of Spiritual Care in Hospital Care System in Iran

There is a growing body of evidence on the positive effects of religion and spirituality on recovery from cancer and the ability to cope with it. Most spiritual interventions carried out in Iranian research are based on care and support models that have been developed in the West. With the unique cultural and religious features of the Iranian context, a more refined look at spiritual care in the hospital care system of Iran is called for. This paper examines how to implement the spiritual care of cancer patients in hospitals and oncology wards in Iran. A consensus panel of experts was used to develop guidelines for spiritually integrated care consisting of 18 primary areas, which are described in detail in this report. Health care policy makers and managers of health care in Iran and possibly other areas of the Middle East should consider implementing these guidelines. Using indigenous models and programs specific to the religion and the cultural of a region should be considered when providing spiritual care for cancer patients.

Healthcare needs of the Muslim patient community in the undergraduate medical curriculum - Are we there?

Objective:

Muslim patients have a unique set of healthcare needs that are related to their faith. These are generally not formally addressed in the medical curricula. The study aimed to recommend additional content that would better tailor the undergraduate curriculum to cater to the needs of this large cohort – Muslim patients. This is with the expectation that patients would have their faith-related health queries resolved by healthcare providers.

Methods:

A quantitative descriptive survey design was adopted. A 46-item questionnaire formulated through a literature review was put forth to experts using the Delphi Technique. Experts were selected based on having an academic rank of associate professor and above or medical education credentials. Three iterative rounds were conducted for exploring consensus over a period of five months. Panel agreement of >70% was the criteria for inclusion.

Results:

Items were categorized under 7 subject themes: Medicine, Psychiatry, Surgery, Gynecology, Obstetrics, Medical Ethics, and Islamic Studies. Consensus was eventually reached for 41 out of 46 items. These topics included but were not limited to “The Muslim patient in Ramadan to: fast or not to fast?” and “Muslim women and decision-making on pregnancy termination”.

Conclusion:

The study suggested that the topics proposed herein were in fact legitimate faith-related healthcare needs of Muslim patients. Their inclusion would add value to the undergraduate medical curriculum and would train practitioners to improve patient outcomes more holistically.

Who Can Provide Spiritual Counseling? A Qualitative Study from Iran

Background and Aim:

Given the increased prevalence of mental illnesses in recent years, many therapists and researchers use spiritual counseling (SC), which is one of the spiritual interventions. However, unfortunately, the use of this intervention by the therapists is nonscientific because the ambiguities of this issue are high in the mental health field of Iran. The aim of this study is to survey the following most important challenges: what groups are qualified to provide SC, what kind of knowledge should be known by suitable individuals, who can train spiritual counselors, what they should teach, and what teaching methods should be used.

Methods:

The present conventional qualitative content analysis used deep semi-structured interview to collect data from the view of stakeholders. A total of 15 people were selected through purposive sampling. After transcription of the interviews, the data were analyzed based on the Graneheim and Lundman model.

Results:

Results obtained from data analysis covered five main themes including SC candidates, general conditions, sciences required, SC curriculum, and spiritual counselors' training method.

Conclusions:

The present study has answered to the most basic questions in SC scope. Since spiritual services are rooted in our culture and religion, native guidelines should be created for them as soon as possible through conducting similar qualitative researches. Furthermore, it is worth considering teaching and training case in this scope to make spiritual service providers concern about solutions to promote these services.