Muslim female gender preference in delaying the medical care at emergency department in Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Hospitals are responsible for considering patients religious beliefs and spiritual ideas as part of their rights in emergency department (ED), where the urgent seek of medical intervention usually needed, these rights can be sometimes violated. This study is designed to take female Muslim patients view and their consideration when it comes to receiving health care from the same physician's gender or sex. Materials and Methods: This research is a cross-sectional study, which was conducted at three hospitals in Saudi Arabia, Qassim region. The collection of the data by using a questionnaire distributed to 393 patients and visitor in ED, mostly female which represent 87.5% of the entire sample in this study. Results: Indicated that more than half of female patient prefer to be seen by female physicians. The same preference with a male when the case involves one of their first-degree female relatives with exceptions in life-threatening cases, where more than half of the patients have not choose gender preference and want to rely on the available physician in ED either male or female physician. Conclusion: The study result shows an obvious considerable preference of the presence of a female physician in the ED to handle gastrointestinal disease, clinical assessment, non-life-threatening cases, and physical examination. However, in few situations such as life-threatening, psychiatric illnesses, and history taking, there was no preference for female over male physician. The religion was the main factor that affects in participants decisions. The intervention from the religious leader is mandatory to correct patient's beliefs, therefore, improve the outcome.

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“…Hiring female health professionals will also be prioritized because they have a higher rate of unemployment and female Muslims prefer female health professionals. [30][31][32] Hiring from one's own neighborhood or refugee camp ensures a more culturally aware, language-appropriate, and socially acceptable experience between providers and patients. 33…”

Investigating patients' attitudes toward receiving care from an opposite‐gender nurse

“…The scores ranged between 21 and 63, while a higher score indicated more positive attitude. The overall score was divided into three levels of negative (21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35), moderate (36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46)(47)(48)(49), and positive attitude (50)(51)(52)(53)(54)(55)(56)(57)(58)(59)(60)(61)(62)(63). The scoring of the third to seventeenth questions was done inversely.…”

“…Patients have the right to decide on the gender of the caregiver 42 because this issue is one of the five axes of patients' rights 39,43 and health care centers in any community need to be aware of the ethical aspects of care. Additionally, policies must be formulated in line with patients' rights in such a way that these rights are implemented.…”

“…Religion has the greatest impact on the attitude of Muslim patients while choosing the gender of the medical staff. 42 In Islamic societies, there are common cultural norms and limited physical contact laws for health care providers, including male nurses and female patients. 48 According to Islamic culture, touching and even looking at the opposite gender, the presence of men and women only indoors, is contrary to the principles of society.…”

“…Muslim female patients do not allow the opposite-gender treatment staff to perform physical examinations except in the presence of their very close relatives. 42 In a descriptive study, Vatandost et al, 50 assessed the effect of patient's companion or third party presence on patients' opposite-gender nurse acceptance. They concluded that care delivery by the opposite-gender nurse should be done in the presence of the patient's companion to increase patients' opposite-gender nurse acceptance.…”