For our Nur-Allah ICR requirement, David and I were asked to research Mental Health programs for Muslim residents in Indianapolis. As a healthcare student, this obviously peaked my interest. Not only in mental health, but all healthcare surrounding different religious groups has to be closely monitored for the patient’s unique needs.
In order to be culturally competent for Muslim patients–diet, religious events (such as Ramadan which involves fasting,) certain medication restrictions, and dress/privacy must be strictly respected and upheld while trying to maintain the patient’s health. This can be very problematic for healthcare workers, who traditionally try to prioritize the patient’s well-being over all. However, making sure the patient is happy is the most important facet of the healthcare field.
An example of how these two interests can conflict would be in the case of a physically-incompetent/comatose patient. This can be incredibly frustrating for the patient and the family of the patient for many reasons. First, for the devout Muslim, prayer is incredibly important in their day-to-day lives. Not being able to pray (which involves prostration,) is a difficult problem for a healthcare worker to make possible for the patient. Additionally, having a caretaker that is the same gender as the patient is very important for Muslim patients. This is in order to maintain privacy and modesty. The usage of a specific hand in order to feed is also important. The left hand is seen as unclean in Islamic culture, so the healthcare worker needs to make sure they use their right hand for activities such as feeding the patient or administering medication.
Paying attention to these small details for all patients, not just Muslim patients, is incredibly pertinent in order to achieve the utmost level of care possible. All groups of people and individuals have needs and desires that need to be met, and I am proud to be part of a field that can accommodate those needs for so many diverse belief-systems and people.