ARAB & CULTRAL DIVERSIT YBy: Janis s kyzer

The "Arab World" includes 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa, Arab countries are religiously and ethnically diverse with Islam being the dominant religion in most countries.

:

INTEGRATED HEALTH CARE

COMUNNICATION

New health care plan Unveiled on November 21, 2011 at Faisaliah Hotel in

Riyadh.

PATIENTS RELATIONS

⚝ The Country Divided into five main regions and each region would have four levels of health services designed to offer the best services for the people and improve communication

⚝ There are weekly meetings open to the officials , service providers and beneficiaries. The main focus is to enable Saudi Arabia’s health-care sector to share its knowledge and expertise in patient relations.

⚝ There are many foreign and American nurses who are non-Arabic speaking and who work in different departments including intensive care units. They make up most of the population of Nurses. This could interfere with patients' psychological and spiritual needs due to differences in cultures and beliefs.

EXAMPLE OF MISS-COMMUNICATION

⚝ “When the nurse entered the room of her Iranian patient, she found the patient huddled on the floor, mumbling. At first she thought the patient had fallen out of bed, but when she tried to help her up the patient became visibly upset. She spoke no English and the nurse had no idea what the problem was. The patient had been praying. She was practicing her religion in the traditional manner.(praying 5 times a day). She was scheduled for surgery the next day”.

⚝ Traditionally, they pray on a prayer rug placed on the floor. If the nursing staff had some understanding of Muslim customs, they could have arranged to provide the patient some privacy during certain times of the day so she could pray.

⚝ Half of Arabic women who enter the nursing profession quit their jobs. There are Two major reasons why .The first reason is misunderstanding of what the job entails (miss-communication in teaching field). The second reason is the social stigma and lack of family support they get when they decide to enter the field. Hence, contributing to the lack of communication with patients.

⚝ In Arab countries, patients are told only the good news about their disease. In severe cases, the doctors generally report the seriousness of the illness and its likely consequences to a selected family member only.

⚝ Majority of deaths occur in the hospitals due to lack of communication between patients and their providers.

HIGH RISK BEHAVIORS

⚝ A HIV/AIDS control program has been initiated since the late 1980s and has helped in maintaining very low levels of infected cases.

⚝ Smoking in spite of an active anti-smoking program, tobacco consumption still poses a problem, especially among young people.

⚝ Twelve percent of Arab youths abuse drugs ,unfortunately there are no extensive anti-drug programs offered for youths only adults.

⚝ In certain countries in Arab prohibits alcohol, but many school age kids find a way around it and became addicted. They are banished from their family if caught drinking.

⚝ Diabetes is the leading cause of mortality.

HIGH RISK IN HEALTH PROFESSION

⚝ Safety issues impacting the work force in the Middle East include needle stick injuries, workplace violence, and musculoskeletal injuries related to patient handling.

Interesting fact;

⚝ More recently, concerns about workload, work hours, job stress, and fatigue have emerged. Nurses work night shifts along with having to work about 9 hours a day, rarely getting to see their Families. Salaries range from $100.00 to $200.00 US dollars a month. School Teachers get paid double that amount in the Saudi Arabia.

NUTRITION⚝ Arabs are restricted from eating pork,

and ham and unscaled fish. ⚝ Alcohol is forbidden.⚝ The staple of the Arab diet is dark pita

bread⚝ Lamb is the most common meat.⚝ When eating with Arabs, especially

when taking food from communal dishes, the left hand must never be used, it is considered unclean.

⚝ Meals are generally large family affairs, with much sharing and a great deal of warmth over the dinner table, they consider this a ritual.

⚝ Only meat that is prepared properly can be eaten .⚝ The head of an animal must be slaughtered using

halal methods where head is aligned with the Qiblah (the direction that should be faced when praying) .

⚝ Animals should be slaughtered in the name of Allah (God).

⚝ Diet is an issue for many patients. During certain Religious days, many patients resist taking medications and eating.

PREGNANCY AND CHILDBEARING PRACTICES

⚝ Most Arabs consider childbirth to be a female issue only.

⚝ A woman in labor is usually surrounded by female relatives and friends. Fathers or any other men are not allowed in the labor room.

⚝ Midwives play an important role in prenatal care, delivery and post delivery consultation and are held in high regard in society and in the medical profession.

⚝ The culture believes women should tend to women and men should tend to men in the health field.

⚝The Arab’s do not believe in abortion except if they have been raped. since the child may cause her psychological problems, their cultural values the life of the mother more. They believe it will also effect the child's mental health if they follow through on pregnancy.

⚝Most Arabic women do not see a doctor or midwife till further along in their pregnancy.

⚝They believe a child should be breastfed as long as possible and all males are circumcised.

HEALTHCARE PRACTICES

⚝ Care of body after death includes special rituals, such as washing the body and all its orifices.

⚝ They do not believe in organ donation due to respect for burying the body whole and meeting creator with integrity.

⚝ They believe physical illness is caused from germs, winds and drafts, imbalance in hot and dry and cold and moist, and sudden fears.

⚝ Among children, deprivation is considered cause of illness.

⚝Evil Eye ; Belief that a positive event, provokes jealousy and envy in others, giving the eyes of the envious party the power to inflict an accident, illness or other negative event on the fortunate person or family.

⚝ “Recently Arab counties introduced DNA tests for blood donors to ensure safety.

⚝Belief that the Wrath of God, or God's will causes Mental Illness, and genetic defects (Religious beliefs call for acceptance by social expectations which forces family into isolation to "hide" the genetically defective family member).

AHLI ARAB HOSPITAL, GAZA CITY

" We gathered round an old oil lamp, like the lamp used by

Florence Nightingale, recited the nurses' oath and received

our caps."