With Ramadan approaching, we’ve created a new resource to support people who will be fasting.
People fast for many reasons, including for medical, wellbeing or religious reasons. This guide will support pharmacists and pharmacy teams who may be asked about fasting and its effects on medicine use or health.
It can be used to support people who fast and covers:
- Why people fast and the different types of fasting
- The effects of fasting on the body
- The benefits and risks of fasting
- Who should not fast
- Practical tips to support people who fast, including at work and other general considerations
- Advice for people who fast, including diet, exercise, smoking cessation, and medicine use.
The guide also signposts to useful resources in therapeutic/clinical areas, workforce, Pharmaceutical Journal articles, and resources pharmacists can share with the public.
Regina Ahmed, Guidance Manager at RPS, said: “We received queries from members about adjustments needed in the workplace for team members who fast and were contacted asking about guidance we had for pharmacy on Ramadan. So we created this guide to support those fasting this year and help pharmacists on how to support.
“We hope the guide will help to make pharmacists aware of the different types of fasting, who shouldn’t fast, advise people who fast to do so safely, and finally signpost to various clinical, workplace and wellbeing resources.”
Read the fasting guidance.
Read Farzana Mohammed’s blog on having the COVID-19 vaccine during Ramadan