Paper Example on Female Muslim Patient Refusal: Understanding Cultural Diversity in Hospital Care

Introduction

Diversity plays a crucial role in the delivery of services in a hospital work environment. The multicultural orientation of patients makes some people uncomfortable when receiving services from certain groups of health professionals (Harvey & Allard, 2015). The scenario of a female Muslim patient refusing to receive care from a male nurse could result from diverse cultural and religious orientation (Harvey & Allard, 2015). Therefore, as a male nurse, I must apply the key attributes of a good employee: communication, flexibility, integrity, ethical behavior, and critical thinking to be able to deal with her case (Harvey & Allard, 2015).

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Communication

Communication is a fundamental tool used by health professionals to reach out to patients with diverse cultural backgrounds (Harvey & Allard, 2015). Furthermore, communication helps nurses assess medical history before beginning any form of medication. In this scenario, I would explain to the patient that our medical system treats all patients equally. All patients, regardless of their race, religion, or socioeconomic background, always receive the utmost medical care (Harvey & Allard, 2015). Additionally, I would seek the assistance of the family members accompanying the patient to reach out to her and reassure her that she is in safe hands. Furthermore, the patient should be given some space to calm down and comprehend the whole situation (Harvey & Allard, 2015). After that, I can diligently approach the patient again to see if she can accept my care.

Flexibility

A delicate scenario like this one requires adaptability from my side. Therefore, to deal with this case, I need to put myself in the patient’s shoes to understand her fear and emotional distress. Consequently, I could calmly explain that she is in safe hands and guarantees her professional service that upholds her dignity (Harvey & Allard, 2015). I would also exercise flexibility by giving her some free space to think about the whole situation. Additionally, the best way to adapt to her situation is to allow somebody she trusts like a family member to convince her to accept my care. However, situations like this might not resolve well as once thought; hence the best decision could be to assign a female nurse assistant to her (Harvey & Allard, 2015).

Integrity

In case the female patient decides to receive care from me. I need to attend to her with a high level of integrity without prejudicing her for initially refusing my service. That would be in line with my medical professional and human ethics (Harvey & Allard, 2015). Furthermore, if she refuses my service, I will show my high moral values by calling on a female nurse to attend to her. Additionally, I will ensure that the female nurse gives her the best services, just like any other patient.

Ethical Behavior

The female Muslim patient refused to receive care from me because of her religious beliefs. Therefore, the ethical step to take is to understand her, show her compassion and care. Moreover, even if the patient refuses the male nurse’s assistance, she should be admitted to the hospital without being dismissed to go to another hospital (Kalshoven & Boon, 2016). It is also important not to mention the patient’s religion when conversing with her since that is the main reason that made her refuse the care.

Critical Thinking

Exercising critical thinking in a hospital environment can be a thin line that determines whether a patient dies or survives. Therefore, the case of this patient call for quick thinking and making a fast decision. For instance, I could apply critical thinking when talking to her to ensure she receives medical care as fast as possible. And if I sense that the conversation might not bear fruits within the quickest time possible, then the only option left is to refer her to a female nurse (Harvey & Allard, 2015).

Conclusion

In conclusion, health professionals must train on handling patients from diverse backgrounds since that is the skill required to deal with patients daily.

References

Harvey, C. P., & Allard, M. J. (2015). Understanding and managing diversity: readings, cases, and exercises. Upper Saddle River: Pearson. https://books.google.co.ke/books?id=Q8FongEACAAJ&dq=ISBN:0133548198,ISBN:9780133548198&hl=&source=gbs_api&redir_esc=y

Kalshoven, K., & Boon, C. T. (2016). Ethical leadership, employee wellbeing, and helping. Journal of Personnel Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000056.