Defense Date
9-5-2024
Graduation Date
Winter 12-20-2024
Availability
One-year Embargo
Submission Type
dissertation
Degree Name
PhD
Department
Health Care Ethics
School
McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts
Committee Chair
Dr. Gerard Magill
Committee Member
Dr. Joris Gielen
Committee Member
Dr. Peter Osuji
Keywords
bioethics, Islam, religion, spirituality, Muslim, faith, healthcare, ethics
Abstract
Spirituality plays a major role in decision making for individuals with faith-based values. There is often hesitation to discuss the role of faith in healthcare as a core value and coping mechanism. The growing cultural diversity amongst patients and physicians has increased the need to understand eastern religious principles and incorporate them into bioethical guidance. Even as the 2nd largest religion in the world, Islam has not been sufficiently integrated into religious bioethics in western medicine. Muslim populations of patients and physicians are growing, increasing the need for better understanding of how Islamic principles impact healthcare delivery. Although Islamic law offers guidance for a complete life, there is a reliance on scholars to continuously apply these laws to these newer challenges. The gap between existing guidance and what is needed is widening and there is a need to incorporate more Islamic guidance into modern bioethics in healthcare settings. The goal of this dissertation is to use Islamic law and scholarly analysis to provide a holistic guide on multiple significant bioethical issues from the perspective of Islamic spirituality. This foundation of spirituality has significance in the extensive range of clinical ethics, including reproductive and regenerative medicine, end of life care, and professionalism. And this significance impacts both patients and providers to improve the quality of their encounters across the range of healthcare delivery, aligning health interventions with faith obligations. Religious guidance is important for Muslim physicians who often juggle their professional obligations and their beliefs. Like patients, they are also often ill-informed about what medical treatments are Islamically permissible. Non-Muslim physicians may experience challenges when managing Muslim patients’ needs without proper guidance on what treatment options would be appropriate to discuss while honoring the patient’s faith obligations. The current lack of sufficient guidance regarding Muslim spirituality puts strain on the quality of patient-provider relationships and the overall care experience. By offering more insight into the link between Muslim spirituality and medical care, this dissertation aims to help Muslim patients and physicians improve the patient-provider experience.
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Rahman, S. (2024). MUSLIM SPIRITUALITY AS A FOUNDATION IN BIOETHICS FOR PATIENT ENCOUNTERS IN HEALTH CARE (Doctoral dissertation, Duquesne University). Retrieved from https://dsc.duq.edu/etd/2410