Palliative and end-of-life care in Egypt: overview and recommendations for improvement

Background: The literature on the situation of palliative and end-of-life care in the Arab and Islamic world, including Egypt, is limited and does not present a clear picture of the cultural context. This report aims to portray the palliative and end-of-life care situation in Egypt, focusing on the nursing viewpoint. First, we describe health- and illness-related cultural, religious, and ethical issues. Second, we present an overview of the healthcare and nursing system in Egypt. Third, we discuss the situation of palliative and end-of-life care, highlighting the shortcomings of existing literature. Finally, we delineate country-specific recommendations to improve the palliative and end-of-life care situation at the level of policy, education, and research. Countries with similar healthcare, cultural, legal, religious, economic, or ethical contexts may benefit from the recommendations made in this study.