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Religious Values and Healthcare Accommodations: Voices from the American Muslim Community

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ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND

Minority populations receive a lower quality healthcare in part due to the inadequate assessment of, and cultural adaptations to meet, their culturally informed healthcare needs. The seven million American Muslims, while ethnically and racially diverse, share religiously informed healthcare values that influence their expectations of healthcare. There is limited empirical research on this community’s preferences for cultural modifications in healthcare delivery.

OBJECTIVE

Identify healthcare accommodations requested by American Muslims.

METHODS

Using community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods, we partnered with four community organizations in the Greater Detroit area to design and conduct thirteen focus groups at area mosques serving African American, Arab American, and South Asian American Muslims. Qualitative content analysis utilized a framework team-based approach.

KEY RESULTS

Participants reported stigmatization within the healthcare system and voiced the need for culturally competent healthcare providers. In addition, they identified three key healthcare accommodations to address Muslim sensitivities: the provision of (1) gender-concordant care, (2) halal food and (3) a neutral prayer space. Gender concordance was requested based on Islamic conceptions of modesty and privacy. Halal food was deemed to be health-promoting and therefore integral to the healing process. Lastly, a neutral prayer space was requested to ensure security and privacy during worship.

CONCLUSIONS

This study informs efforts to deliver high-quality healthcare to American Muslims in several ways. We note three specific healthcare accommodations requested by this community and the religious values underlying these requests. Healthcare systems can further cultural sensitivity, engender trust, and improve the healthcare experiences of American Muslims by understanding and then attempting to accommodate these values as much as possible.

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Acknowledgements

We thank our respondents for sharing their insights with us, and our community partners for their invaluable recruitment assistance and support: Muzammil Ahmed MD, Hamada Hamid DO MPH from the Institute for Social Policy & Understanding, Adnan Hammad PhD from the Arab Community Center for Economic & Social Services, Mouhib Ayyas MD from the Islamic Shura Council of Michigan, and Ghalib Begg from the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan. We also thank Sonia Duffy RN and Michael D. Fetters MD MPH MA for assistance with study design, qualitative methods, and intellectual support. Lastly, a note of thanks to our troupe of research assistants, Heather Tidrick, Afrah Raza, Shoaib Rasheed, Ali Beydoun, Nadia Samaha, David Krass, Imen Alem, and Samia Arshad for their invaluable assistance.This project and the time-effort of AIP, AK, and KG was supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program and additional project funding was provided by the Institute for Social Policy & Understanding.

Conflicts of Interest

None disclosed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sections of General Internal Medicine & Emergency Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Ave, MC 5068, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Aasim I. Padela MD, MSc

  2. Program on Medicine and Religion, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    Aasim I. Padela MD, MSc

  3. Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Katie Gunter MPH, MSW, Amal Killawi MSW & Michele Heisler MD, MPA

  4. Veterans Affairs Center for Clinical Management Research, VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Michele Heisler MD, MPA

Authors
  1. Aasim I. Padela MD, MSc
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  2. Katie Gunter MPH, MSW
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  3. Amal Killawi MSW
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  4. Michele Heisler MD, MPA
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Aasim I. Padela MD, MSc.

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Padela, A.I., Gunter, K., Killawi, A. et al. Religious Values and Healthcare Accommodations: Voices from the American Muslim Community. J GEN INTERN MED 27, 708–715 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-011-1965-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-011-1965-5

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