format_quote Originally Posted by
Misty
Thank you. You obviously have experience in the field of medicine and I appreciate your honest style of speaking. My "Cultural Diversity in Healthcare" class does seem to go a bit far at times in the suggestions they make to us concerning bedside manner. I think the class can be useful for younger people who have had little cultural experience.
My pleasure..
A more important topic I might look into concerning Muslim people might be genetic diseases or pandemics that have affected Muslim populations. I was just wondering if there were any common faux-pas I should avoid. I agree with you that in a place of medicine, medicine is the main concern.
One thing to keep in mind is that there is no prototypical Muslim.. you are likely to meet a Chinese Muslim as you are to meet a German one.. so perhaps the thing of concern isn't their islamicness per se as it is their culture.. obviously Muslim Arabs have different custom and traditions than an Indonesian Muslim or an American Muslim...
the things that are really biggies
1- be observant of their dress code and wishes.. and that is similar to Jews.. so whether they want a head cover as such
do offer it to them, one or two to make them most comfortable, offer moon pants for more invasive procedures (but don't assume that they will want it) if they ask for privacy make sure the team working is one they are comfortable with.
2- Dietary, again similar to Jews
3- sometimes patients don't want to know all that is wrong with them (this is usually a Job for the attending doctor) but it is best to ask in advance how much someone knows or wants to know of their condition.. middle easterners are notorious hearing how well they are doing by their doctor even if they have hours to live.. that is a cultural phenomenon.. they don't want to tell grandma that she has breast cancer or grandpa that he has prostate cancer, least of which in front of their family.. my own grandmother didn't know she was in CHF until the day she died..
4-making them comfortable when it comes to their religious observances
most hospitals (community and university) come equipped with a multi-denominational parish also someone for their spiritual needs so it is good to offer that if they request....
some diseases are more prevalent in some regions than others, but that is a clinical diagnosis.. Japanese people have more takayasu arteritis, Turks might have more behcet's disease, Jews might have more Hexosaminidase A Deficiency but so rarely that as the old medical adage goes.. 'common things are common and rare things are rare' no one should be labeled of anything and certainly in health-care creating stereotypes is the wrong place to start..
lastly treating anyone at all, shy or brazen, avoidant or talkative, belligerent or docile as you would any member of your family is an excellent rule.. as we certainly should treat others how we'd like to be treated especially when scared, diseased, and down..
all the best!