Religious practices and quality of life in palliative care: insights from Tanzania

Abstract

Objective: To explore the role of religious practices in palliative care and their impact on the quality of life among inpatients at Ocean Road Cancer Institute.

Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted, using structured surveys to gather data from 150 inpatients receiving palliative care. The WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) tool was used to measure quality of life, alongside data on the usage of religious practices.

Results: The findings reveal that most of the participants (90%) expressed a need for religious practices, predominantly prayer. Notably, access to these practices positively correlated with improved perceptions of well-being, despite a considerable portion of patients reporting a poor quality of life (84.7%).

Conclusion: The study's findings highlight the importance of incorporating religious practices into palliative care, particularly in low-resource settings like Tanzania, to provide culturally sensitive, holistic support for patients with cancer.

Keywords: Cancer; Palliative Care; Quality of life.