Religio-Cultural Competencies in Medicine for Female Arab Muslim Patients
Author: Shirley Trenche, BSc, MD Candidate 2024
Keywords: Female patients, medical diversity, medical discrimination, medical education
Introduction
A female patient walked into the clinic to receive care. She had an emerald green hijab with a majestic array of pearls and golden beads. I complimented her and said, “That’s a beautiful hijab.” Unfortunately as she was rushing to take her coat off, she thought I had asked her to remove her hijab. She questioned, “Why is it that I need to remove it?” I told her, “Sorry, I think you misheard me. I was complimenting you as I love the color and the beaded embroidery.” She laughed and stated, “Thank you. Believe it or not, I have encountered providers that have asked me to remove it without an explanation.” This and countless other stories were some of the concerns raised by many female patients of the Arab Muslim community in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs.
Islamophobia in the United States
It is impossible to discuss the topic of medical discrimination against Muslims without stating that a surge of religious intolerance towards followers of the Islamic faith occurred right after September 11, 2001. From 2000 to 2001, anti-Muslim assaults increased from 12 reported incidents to 93.¹ This number has steadily increased since then. Unfortunately, discrimination can percolate into the medical system, making Arab Muslim women vulnerable to poor medical experiences.
Survey Results
This survey asked 24 women a set of questions such as their age cohort, if they wear a hijab, if they experienced or felt that a medical provider discriminated or disrespected their religious and/or cultural beliefs, as well as if they know or heard of someone who experienced or felt that a medical provider discriminated or disrespected against his or her religious and/or cultural beliefs.
Nine out of 24 women stated they had experienced discrimination by a non-Muslim medical provider. Out of those nine women, all of them stated the discrimination was from non-Arab or non-Muslim providers. Also, out of those same nine women, eight wear a hijab. Four out of those nine women were in the 20-29 age cohort. Three out of the nine women were in the 30-39 age cohort. Two out of the nine women were in the 40-49 age cohort. Younger women mentioned experiencing discrimination by medical providers more often than older women. Thirteen out of 24 women stated they know or heard of someone who experienced discrimination by a non-Muslim medical provider.
Most of the women who did experience or heard of someone who experienced medical discrimination listed prohibiting to speak the Arabic language, demanding to remove their hijab without a medical reason, or delivering foods with pork derivatives as examples of the discrimination they faced while seeking care from a medical provider.
Education and Hospital Involvement Can Reduce Medical Discrimination
No patient should feel as if his or her religious or cultural beliefs are not respected. Medical providers need to learn how to respect patients that come from different backgrounds, in order to provide quality care. It is estimated that within the next 50 years, half of the nation's population will be from cultures other than White/non-Hispanic, increasing the need of medical services to patients of diverse cultures and beliefs. This means educating providers on cultural and religious beliefs will be an imperative part of the curriculum. Hospitals can help by providing interpreter services, recruiting and retaining minority staff, providing training to increase cultural awareness, using community health workers that belong or have experience within that group, incorporating culture-specific attitudes and values into health promotion tools, and including cultural and religious beliefs of patients in health care decision making.³
Conclusion
As minority populations increase in the United States, medicine will need to adjust to respect the values of patients. Education and exposure is key to learning about how culture and religion can affect medical care. It is essential to ensure patients can feel at ease to receive care, regardless of their background. Medical providers should foster a safe environment for all patients. Through this, we can work together, despite our differences.
About the Author: Shirley Trenche, is a fourth-year medical student at International American University College of Medicine. She received her bachelor’s degree in Cellular Neuroscience from the Honors College at Florida Atlantic University. Her interests include medical diversity, healthcare delivery, and primary care. (Instagram: @shirleytrenche24)
