End-of-life care: a Saudi Arabian perspective

Abstract

End-of-life care (EOLC) care is a unique specialty consisting of comprehensive multidisciplinary healthcare delivery to patients with a wide range of terminal illnesses. However, this form of care raises many ethical questions, and some religions disregard several actions of EOLC. While a complete understanding of all faiths is challenging for a busy healthcare professional, a good grasp of the major religions is essential. In this review paper, we focus on the ethical dilemmas of EOLC in Saudi Arabia from an Islamic perspective, emphasizing the ethics of the right of care. This review helps to demonstrate that the literature on EOLC is global and yet inconclusive in some areas. In Saudi Arabia, there are now more than 15 comprehensive cancer centers with palliative care units. Palliative care is becoming increasingly relevant in the Kingdom as the number of patients diagnosed with severe life-threatening illnesses rises. Despite this, healthcare practitioners' awareness of palliative care remains limited. [SJEMed 2021; 2(3.000): 268-271]

Keywords

• end-of-life care (eolc)
• palliative care
• islamic perspective
• do not resuscitate (dnr)
• physician-assisted suicide