Cultural Competence Springs up in the Desert

Elnashar, Maha; Abdelrahim, Huda; Fetters, Michael D.

doi:10.1097/acm.0b013e318253d6c6

Cited by 21 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…This study was conducted in the extremely high-density multicultural setting of Doha, Qatar [25]. Qatar has a population of approximately 1.9 million people [26] with the majority comprised of expatriate workers from all over the world temporarily residing in Qatar [20,26,27].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Procedures of recruiting, obtaining informed consent, and compensating research participants in Qatar: findings from a qualitative investigation

et al. 2014

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BackgroundVery few researchers have reported on procedures of recruiting, obtaining informed consent, and compensating participants in health research in the Arabian Gulf Region. Empirical research can inform the debate about whether to adjust these procedures for culturally diverse settings. Our objective was to delineate procedures related to recruiting, obtaining informed consent, and compensating health research participants in the extremely high-density multicultural setting of Qatar.MethodsDuring a multistage mixed methods project, field observations and qualitative interviews were conducted in a general medicine clinic of a major medical center in Qatar. Participants were chosen based on gender, age, literacy, and preferred language, i.e., Arabic, English, Hindi and Urdu. Qualitative analysis identified themes about recruitment, informed consent, compensation, and other research procedures.ResultsA total of 153 individuals were approached and 84 enrolled; the latter showed a diverse age range (18 to 75 years); varied language representation: Arabic (n = 24), English (n = 20), Hindi (n = 20), and Urdu (n = 20); and balanced gender distribution: women (n = 43) and men (n = 41). Primary reasons for 30 declinations included concern about interview length and recording. The study achieved a 74% participation rate. Qualitative analytics revealed key themes about hesitation to participate, decisions about participation with family members as well as discussions with them as “incidental research participants”, the informed consent process, privacy and gender rules of the interview environment, reactions to member checking and compensation, and motivation for participating. Vulnerability emerged as a recurring issue throughout the process among a minority of participants.ConclusionsThis study from Qatar is the first to provide empirical data on recruitment, informed consent, compensation and other research procedures in a general adult population in the Middle East and Arabian Gulf. This investigation illustrates how potential research participants perceive research participation. Fundamentally, Western ethical research principles were applicable, but required flexibility and culturally informed adaptations.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Procedures of recruiting, obtaining informed consent, and compensating research participants in Qatar: findings from a qualitative investigation

et al. 2014

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“…Laws intended to protect workers are reported as rarely enforced [17]. Within the medical system, patients are categorized in the medical record by their country of origin [18]. A traditional blame culture within professional institutions where errors are not tolerated is slowly being addressed through safety drills, data collections, and discussion of cultural differences [19]- [21].…”

Section: Culturementioning

confidence: 99%

The Development of the Qatar Healthcare System: A Review of the Literature

Goodman¹

2015

IJCM

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Background: Qatar, one of the smallest and wealthiest countries in the world, is a newly emerging healthcare system. Medical leadership in Qatar has had to create an infrastructure for medical care over the past twenty years. The purpose of this paper is to review the challenges and achievements of the newly emerging Qatar healthcare system. Methods: PubMed was searched using MESH terms: Qatar, healthcare, medical development, medical insurance and medical history. Websites of the World Bank, CIA fact book, Qatar Ministry of Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the US State department were searched for information about Qatar's healthcare system and its history. Results: Qatar is a rapidly growing, multicultural country with over 80 nationalities represented. Qatar has developed a healthcare system with universal coverage. Up until 2014, the government has subsidized all care. There are plans to develop a medical insurance system. Conclusions: Qatar has experienced the rapid development of a healthcare system over the past twenty years. The government has centrally controlled growth and development. An examination of the unique challenges to building a Qatari healthcare system will be useful in considering how to develop medical infrastructure in other countries.

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“…Doha presents an extremely high-density multicultural setting [22]. Outpatient clinics in the Hamad Medical Center, the leading healthcare provider in Qatar, served as the specific data collection site.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A sample of the interview guide can be found in Additional file 1. A full paper based heavily on the field notes as well as interview data about recruitment and informed consent has been previously published [22]. …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Traditional Arabic & Islamic medicine: validation and empirical assessment of a conceptual model in Qatar

Alrawi

Khidir

Elnashar

et al. 2017

BMC Complement Altern Med

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BackgroundEvidence indicates traditional medicine is no longer only used for the healthcare of the poor, its prevalence is also increasing in countries where allopathic medicine is predominant in the healthcare system. While these healing practices have been utilized for thousands of years in the Arabian Gulf, only recently has a theoretical model been developed illustrating the linkages and components of such practices articulated as Traditional Arabic & Islamic Medicine (TAIM). Despite previous theoretical work presenting development of the TAIM model, empirical support has been lacking. The objective of this research is to provide empirical support for the TAIM model and illustrate real world applicability.MethodsUsing an ethnographic approach, we recruited 84 individuals (43 women and 41 men) who were speakers of one of four common languages in Qatar; Arabic, English, Hindi, and Urdu, Through in-depth interviews, we sought confirming and disconfirming evidence of the model components, namely, health practices, beliefs and philosophy to treat, diagnose, and prevent illnesses and/or maintain well-being, as well as patterns of communication about their TAIM practices with their allopathic providers.ResultsBased on our analysis, we find empirical support for all elements of the TAIM model. Participants in this research, visitors to major healthcare centers, mentioned using all elements of the TAIM model: herbal medicines, spiritual therapies, dietary practices, mind-body methods, and manual techniques, applied singularly or in combination. Participants had varying levels of comfort sharing information about TAIM practices with allopathic practitioners.ConclusionsThese findings confirm an empirical basis for the elements of the TAIM model. Three elements, namely, spiritual healing, herbal medicine, and dietary practices, were most commonly found. Future research should examine the prevalence of TAIM element use, how it differs among various populations, and its impact on health.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1639-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Cultural Competence Springs up in the Desert

Cited by 21 publications

References 5 publications

Procedures of recruiting, obtaining informed consent, and compensating research participants in Qatar: findings from a qualitative investigation

Procedures of recruiting, obtaining informed consent, and compensating research participants in Qatar: findings from a qualitative investigation

The Development of the Qatar Healthcare System: A Review of the Literature

Traditional Arabic & Islamic medicine: validation and empirical assessment of a conceptual model in Qatar

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