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Sikh religion and palliative care
  1. Amarjodh Singh Landa1,
  2. Bhajneek Kaur Grewal2 and
  3. Rajinder Singh3
  1. 1 Trust Headquarters, Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield, UK
  2. 2 Palliative Care, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
  3. 3 Rehabilitation Medicine, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds, UK
  1. Correspondence to Dr Amarjodh Singh Landa, Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield WF1 4DG, UK; amarjodh{at}doctors.org.uk

Abstract

Over time, end of life care has been heavily influenced by the systems of religion, ethics and spirituality. The Sikh religion was started by Guru Nanak Dev Ji in 1469. It has a unique philosophical understanding of life, death and God which can be relevant to commonly encountered clinical scenarios. Concepts such as ‘Ik-Oankar’, Hukam (God’s will), ego and karma all influence how practising Sikhs respond to situations in everyday life. Understanding the spiritual underpinnings of the Sikh religion is therefore important for clinicians caring for this group of patients. This article will explore the fundamental concepts of the Sikh religion and how these apply to common scenarios encountered within palliative care.

  • communication
  • cultural issues
  • end of life care
  • psychological care
  • spiritual care

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjspcare-2020-002425

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    Footnotes

    • Twitter @Amarjodh

    • Contributors BKG was responsible for the idea of the article and for the literature search of relevant information. ASL wrote the article. RS and BKG reviewed and edited the final article to ensure high standard. The corresponding author attests that all listed authors meet the authorship criteria and that no others meeting the criteria have been omitted.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.