Muslms and health Care - Essay Example

There is no definite statistic of the Muslim population in the United s. Estimates range from 2 to 8 million Muslims in the United s. This means that between 2 to 8 million people need medical care sometime during their life. Unless going to a free Muslim clinic or being wealthy enough to hire a personal Muslim doctor, this group will come into contact with non-Muslim medical personnel. Like any other ethnic group, for a physician to effectively treat a patient, they must understand their cultural and religious background when it impacts the patient’s treatment.

Muslims have clear ideas about their medical care due to religious beliefs. This has to be taken into consideration by non-Muslim doctors. Since there are millions of Muslims in the United States, with a growing population, their needs are significant. Many Muslims have no choice but to be treated by a non-Muslim doctor. If their needs are not met, many Muslims would rather practice their religion than get medical care. This would be a travesty. American citizens would be suffering from third world illnesses just because doctors do not meet their needs.

Muslims believe in transplantation and organ donations, HIV/AIDS treatment, non-abortive contraception methods (IMANA Ethics Committee, 2005). However Muslims do not believe in assisted reproductive methods, surrogacy, abortion, morning after pill, cloning, or medicines with alcohol (IMANA Ethics Committee, 2005). Another issue is modesty and opposite gender examination. Hajabs, head coverings, must be worn in public (Abdullah, 2008). Public includes hospitals. Opposite gender examinations can be preformed if a third party witness, the same sex as the patient, is present.

These rules are important to a Muslim. If a doctor understands these rules, then they can form a treatment plan the patient is more likely to follow.Muslim doctors and health personnel know what treatment plans that Muslims would be more likely to follow. However not all Muslims are treated by doctors from the Muslim faith. Not all non-Muslim doctors are familiar with Muslim religious needs. Many Americans are informed about Muslims through stereotypes on television. This needs to change.

The only way to improve this issue is effective communication with the patient. Effective communication will enhance a doctor’s cultural competence in addressing Muslim needs.There two different ways to have effective communication with a patient. The first is asking a patient that walks in with a Hajab what they are comfortable with. All patients should be consulted about their treatment, Muslims are no different. For example, OBGYN’s need create birth plans for patients (Abdullah, 2008).

Muslim women are more comfortable with women, but sometimes women doctors are not available during birth. This needs to be explained to Muslim women. However a female nurse should also be present during the birth when a man delivers the baby to a Muslim woman. Communication helps the patient trust their doctor, which means they are more likely to follow the doctor’s treatment program. No matter how difficult, a doctor should ask their patients their beliefs in a non-judgmental manner.

The second way for effective communication is research. Hospital and doctor forms request religious preference. If a doctor sees they have a Muslim patient, they should research Muslim medical beliefs. A good source is IMANA, the Islamic Medical Association of North America. This could help a doctor communicate better with their Muslim patient. Muslims are part of American society. They should have their medical needs met just like a Christian, Jew, or any other American citizen. Communication can help a doctor medically treat Muslims better.

Thus communication is necessary part of a Muslim’s medical treatment.ReferencesAbdullah, A.S. (2008). When a Muslim woman is GIVING BIRTH, how does she tackle issues related to modesty? Infocus. Accessed 1 January 2008 from http://www.infocusnews.net/content/view/18070/135/IMANA Ethics Committee. (2005). Islam medical ethics. Accessed 1 January 2008 from http://www.isna.com/Leadership/pages/Islamic-Medical-Ethics.aspx