Issues in Health Care Among Arab-AmericansBy John Harmon And Paul Cieleswicz

• Patients may be scared• In pain or discomfort• Unsure of what to expect

Understanding and Compassion are within ourScope of practice

Arab-Americans are Arab speaking people, usually of Semitic origin, hence the term Semitsm, Arab-Americans were either born in an Arab Country and migrated to the United States or whose parents were born in an Arab country and therefore consider themselves to be of Arab descent

Other ethnicities considered to be of Middle-Eastern descent are Armenians and Assyrians who maintain a strong ethnic identification despite living in Arab countries. Also important to note, Iranians, are of Indo-European origin and speak Farsi (Persian)

The Hippocratic Oath states, “In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patient”.

Most think the words Arab and Muslim are pretty much interchangeable. They are

In contemporary usage, the Middle East a region spanning from Morocco, on the Northwestern coast of Africa to the Western border of India.

• Family members typically see it as their job to make sure that the patient gets the best care possible from medical professionals.

• It is usually appropriate to speak first to the family spokesman. The one with the most authority in any situation is usually the oldest and most educated person

Direct eye contact with members of the opposite sex may be interpreted as a sign of sexual interest particularly from female to male

.

“Communication is often the problem to the answer.”

Arab-Americans tend to be highly contextual communicators

Punctuality is less important in the Middle East than in the United States.

Personal Privacy The appropriate conversational

distance between Arab-Americans is twice as close as Americans are used to.

The collapsing of personal space may feel invasive or even somewhat aggressive..

.

Yes Doctor

• Bathing the body • Enshrouding the body in a white cotton or linen cloth• Burial of the body in a grave in such a way that the head of the deceased faces Mecca, The holiest of Islamic sites.

The definition of death in Islam is the departure of the soul from the body in order to enter the afterlife.

Conclusion

How would you like to be treated?

Fine’

References

 

Cultural Diversity in Nursing: Middle Eastern Culture. http://www.culturediversity.org

Health Care for Middle Eastern Patients and Families. http://www.dimensionsofculture.com

Issues in Health care of Middle Eastern Patients. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Ten Things Every Westerner Should know About the Middle. http://www.danielmiessler.com