{"title":"Understanding Halal pharmaceuticals: Views from outpatients in a Malaysian state hospital.","authors":"W C Ang, N A Khadir, N A S Lahazir, A H Baharudin","doi":"","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Halal pharmaceuticals are paramount in healthcare settings catering to Muslim patients. The COVID- 19 pandemic ignited discussions on the Halal status of pharmaceuticals, especially vaccines. This study aims to explore the understanding and views of hospital outpatients regarding Halal pharmaceuticals.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>A qualitative study by in-depth interviews was undertaken among adult Muslim outpatients. Utilising a semi-structured interview guide in Malay, content reliability of the guide was ensured through expert reviews. Potential participants were approached in the outpatient pharmacy waiting area. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. These Malay transcripts were translated into English and subjected to thematic content analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data saturation was achieved through interviewing ten outpatients. The findings indicated that patients were vigilant in checking labels to confirm the correctness of their medications. Yet, the terms 'Halal pharmaceuticals' and 'Shariah-compliant hospital' were unfamiliar to all and did not evoke curiosity. The respondents expressed trust in the government's commitment to dispense safe and Halalcertified drugs. The majority of the participants did not consider Halal status as a primary factor when selecting medications. Nevertheless given a choice, many voiced a preference for Halal-certified drugs, irrespective of their cost or efficacy. For life-threatening situations, participants were willing to accept non-Halal treatments.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Despite non-familiarity, the general sentiment towards Halal pharmaceuticals remain positive. This study underscores the need for enhanced education and awareness regarding Halal pharmaceuticals for better align healthcare practices with the cultural and religious values of Muslim patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":39388,"journal":{"name":"Medical Journal of Malaysia","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Medical Journal of Malaysia","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"Medicine","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Introduction: Halal pharmaceuticals are paramount in healthcare settings catering to Muslim patients. The COVID- 19 pandemic ignited discussions on the Halal status of pharmaceuticals, especially vaccines. This study aims to explore the understanding and views of hospital outpatients regarding Halal pharmaceuticals.
Materials and methods: A qualitative study by in-depth interviews was undertaken among adult Muslim outpatients. Utilising a semi-structured interview guide in Malay, content reliability of the guide was ensured through expert reviews. Potential participants were approached in the outpatient pharmacy waiting area. All interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. These Malay transcripts were translated into English and subjected to thematic content analysis.
Results: Data saturation was achieved through interviewing ten outpatients. The findings indicated that patients were vigilant in checking labels to confirm the correctness of their medications. Yet, the terms 'Halal pharmaceuticals' and 'Shariah-compliant hospital' were unfamiliar to all and did not evoke curiosity. The respondents expressed trust in the government's commitment to dispense safe and Halalcertified drugs. The majority of the participants did not consider Halal status as a primary factor when selecting medications. Nevertheless given a choice, many voiced a preference for Halal-certified drugs, irrespective of their cost or efficacy. For life-threatening situations, participants were willing to accept non-Halal treatments.
Conclusion: Despite non-familiarity, the general sentiment towards Halal pharmaceuticals remain positive. This study underscores the need for enhanced education and awareness regarding Halal pharmaceuticals for better align healthcare practices with the cultural and religious values of Muslim patients.
期刊介绍：
Published since 1890 this journal originated as the Journal of the Straits Medical Association. With the formation of the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA), the Journal became the official organ, supervised by an editorial board. Some of the early Hon. Editors were Mr. H.M. McGladdery (1960 - 1964), Dr. A.A. Sandosham (1965 - 1977), Prof. Paul C.Y. Chen (1977 - 1987). It is a scientific journal, published quarterly and can be found in medical libraries in many parts of the world. The Journal also enjoys the status of being listed in the Index Medicus, the internationally accepted reference index of medical journals. The editorial columns often reflect the Association''s views and attitudes towards medical problems in the country. The MJM aims to be a peer reviewed scientific journal of the highest quality. We want to ensure that whatever data is published is true and any opinion expressed important to medical science. We believe being Malaysian is our unique niche; our priority will be for scientific knowledge about diseases found in Malaysia and for the practice of medicine in Malaysia. The MJM will archive knowledge about the changing pattern of human diseases and our endeavours to overcome them. It will also document how medicine develops as a profession in the nation. We will communicate and co-operate with other scientific journals in Malaysia. We seek articles that are of educational value to doctors. We will consider all unsolicited articles submitted to the journal and will commission distinguished Malaysians to write relevant review articles. We want to help doctors make better decisions and be good at judging the value of scientific data. We want to help doctors write better, to be articulate and precise.
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