When interviewing a patient, a nurse must be mindful not only of the things that concern the patient’s health directly but also of the cultural aspects that are associated with the patient. In this case, the nurse is interviewing a nineteen-year-old female college student. She is a Muslim, and it is important to understand what health care support systems are available in the African community for someone of this culture.
Caring for Muslims in healthcare requires knowledge of their cultural and spiritual values. Important differences include their diet, daily prayers, and ideas of modesty, privacy, touch, and alcohol intake restriction. When interviewing a female Muslim patient, a nurse must remember that patient’s ideas of modesty and privacy might differ. She might not be comfortable getting changed in front of the nurse or a doctor; therefore, a separate changing room must be provided. Moreover, she might not be comfortable being interviewed by male staff, especially in private. She would be much pleased with the female staff. As well as that, medical staff must remember that the patient needs to pray five times a day. Thus she needs to be provided with a prayer room, which will be separate from male Muslim patients. Her diet must exclude pork, and if the medical staff wanted to touch her, they would need to ask for her permission first.
The African community has an official Islamic medical association that cares for the Islamic community. They are a resource for educational institutions and medical professionals who want to know more about how to serve their Muslim patients best. They also provide mentoring, schooling, and networking for Islamic students. They are committed to bringing about change through constant interaction. According to Islamic Medical Association in South Africa, their membership consists of “over 1500 medical and allied health professionals” (2022). Today they continue to provide healthcare services to the underprivileged, specifically in rural areas where public healthcare services are still non-existent.
References
Islamic Medical Association in South Arica. (2022). About.