Islamic perspectives of spiritual needs in patients with breast cancer: A qualitative study

Breast cancer patients often face difficulties in doing prayers due to cancer diagnosis and treatment. Spiritual needs, especially in the context of Islamic beliefs, need to be explored as a foundation for developing innovative Islamic spiritual nursing interventions that help patients accepting their illness. This study aimed to explore the perspective of Islamic spiritual needs in breast cancer patients.

A qualitative study with descriptive phenomenology approach was conducted at Islamic Hospital at Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia at September 2025. Twenty seven breast cancer patients purposively selected. Data were collected until data saturation through in depth interview lasting 25-30 minutes each. Data analysis was completed using the Colaizzi's method.

Seven main themes were successfully identified, including: (1) The meaning of illness as part of Allah's plan and test, (2) Increased religiosity due to illness, (3) Obstacles to carrying out worship when sick, (4) Gratitude in sick conditions, (5) The process of accepting illness, (6) The role of family and social support in meeting spiritual needs; (7) The need for Islamic media during treatment.

The findings suggest that spiritual meaning and religious practices play a very important role in increasing the coping of breast cancer patients. Islamic spiritual nursing interventions need to fulfil the patients need such as facilitating religious practices at the hospital and the provision of spiritual media to support the spiritual well-being.

This study offers a patient-centered understanding of how spiritual meaning and religious practices shape coping among Muslim women with breast cancer. The study's unique contribution lies in translating patients' lived experiences into practical insights for Islamic spiritual nursing, emphasizing the need for care that is culturally and spiritually responsive within clinical settings.