Middle Eastern
Darlene Domingo
Dr. Namher
Health 120
06/21/2013
Benchmark Project
Dealing with Middle Eastern Patients All Arabs or people of Middle Eastern culture are not Muslims. People from this culture are Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, with the majority of being Muslim. Islam is of the largest religious group in the world. Middle Eastern patients are very modest and value privacy. This group of patients is really conservative. The need for affiliation is dominant among Middle Easterners. They thrive on a large repertoire of relationships and family relations fulfill many affiliation needs.
Middle Easterners have respect for Western medicine. Health care professionals should keep in mind that folk’s beliefs and practices are still retained. Food and other substances are believed to play an important role in health and illnesses. Some Middle Easterners eat only fresh foods and avoid canned or frozen foods to prevent illness. The use of “hot” and ‘cold” foods- honey and walnuts are hot, and cucumber and yoghurt- cold is practiced in Middle East. They avoid eating incompatible foods at the same meal. Inappropriate or inadequate diet is seen to cause weakness and illness. Dietary requirements are part of requirement of Islamic- influenced culture. Non-pork or even a vegetarian diet may be followed, and alcohol is prohibited even as a base for medications. They resist seeking help from psychiatrists because of the stigma associated with mental illness. Insanity is often attributed to evil spirits, head trauma, or sudden freight; families tend to conceal the fact that a member is a psychiatric patient. During illness or crisis, Middle Easterners rely heavily on other person instead of trying to cope by other means. The immediate family is the central, most durable and influential social institution. A discussion of illness of Middle Easterners often focusses in the family. A person seeking medical care may be accompanied by one or more persons who expect to be
Dr. Namher
Health 120
06/21/2013
Benchmark Project
Dealing with Middle Eastern Patients All Arabs or people of Middle Eastern culture are not Muslims. People from this culture are Muslim, Christian, or Jewish, with the majority of being Muslim. Islam is of the largest religious group in the world. Middle Eastern patients are very modest and value privacy. This group of patients is really conservative. The need for affiliation is dominant among Middle Easterners. They thrive on a large repertoire of relationships and family relations fulfill many affiliation needs.
Middle Easterners have respect for Western medicine. Health care professionals should keep in mind that folk’s beliefs and practices are still retained. Food and other substances are believed to play an important role in health and illnesses. Some Middle Easterners eat only fresh foods and avoid canned or frozen foods to prevent illness. The use of “hot” and ‘cold” foods- honey and walnuts are hot, and cucumber and yoghurt- cold is practiced in Middle East. They avoid eating incompatible foods at the same meal. Inappropriate or inadequate diet is seen to cause weakness and illness. Dietary requirements are part of requirement of Islamic- influenced culture. Non-pork or even a vegetarian diet may be followed, and alcohol is prohibited even as a base for medications. They resist seeking help from psychiatrists because of the stigma associated with mental illness. Insanity is often attributed to evil spirits, head trauma, or sudden freight; families tend to conceal the fact that a member is a psychiatric patient. During illness or crisis, Middle Easterners rely heavily on other person instead of trying to cope by other means. The immediate family is the central, most durable and influential social institution. A discussion of illness of Middle Easterners often focusses in the family. A person seeking medical care may be accompanied by one or more persons who expect to be
Cited: * http://ethnomed.org/cross-cultural-health/religion/health-care-in-islamic-history-and-experience * What language does your patient hurt in? (Textbook) * Edu/culture/monographs/ Muslim * http://www.dimensionsofculture.com/2010/10/health-care-for-middle-eastern-patients * Therapeutic communications for health care (Textbook) * www.issues in healthcare in middle eastern patients