Introduction
Arabs trace their descent, traditions, and origin to the nomadic ethnic groups in the arid regions of the Arabian Peninsula. Their universal language is Arabic, and Islam, which is the world’s fastest-growing religion, unites them.
The majority of Arabs are Muslims with Arabism and Islam being intrinsically interwoven and sharing basic cultural beliefs and traditions. Accordingly, understanding the religious beliefs of Arabs is vital to knowledge about patients’ cultural structure of reference (Purnell & Fenkl, 2019). Purnell’s Domains of Culture comprises comprehensive criteria for cultural components, which make it suitable for the analysis of Arabs’ communication patterns such as readiness to share feelings, the significance of physical touch, use of eye contact, the implication of gestures, and the influence on nursing and health care.
The Willingness to Share Thoughts, Feelings, and Ideas
Arabs might identify congenital disabilities as an assessment of their faith in a deity. Consequently, they are usually private concerning family issues and may not be willing to share information such as the disability of a relative. Therefore, when talking about a family member’s congenital disability with an Arab, there is a need not to concentrate on the disablement but tackle particular concerns of the condition. Arabs are also not willing to share some feelings, ideas, and thoughts with people of the opposite sex (Purnell & Fenkl, 2019). Therefore, for effective care, health institutions should try as much as possible to have female practitioners handle female patients as their male counterparts give medical attention to male patients unless in situations of emergency treatment where saving a life takes priority.
The Practice and Meaning of Touch
Physical touch is an issue of concern among Arabs as it is mainly acceptable in cases of intimate partners, friends, close members of the family, and people of the same sex. Consequently, in the provision of healthcare, it is appropriate to have practitioners of the same sex. In circumstances when it is not possible, there can be a third individual in the room of the same sex as the patient to make them feel comfortable (Attum, Waheed, & Shamoon, 2019). If an individual of the same sex has to carry out a physical exam, there is a need to alert patients that an article of clothing requires being removed for medical examination but will be returned immediately. This communicates reduced exposure and informs patients of the reason for the removal of the necessary article.
Personal Spatial and Distancing Approaches
While Arabs are at ease of communicating with friends and members of the family, they show spatial and distancing policies when communicating with strangers. Consequently, male practitioners might require communicating through a spouse in situations when patients are female. For instance, if a male physician is asking questions to a female patient who has been accompanied by her husband in the room, but she fails to respond, he can seek her approval of the questions being answered by her spouse. This can sort out any misunderstanding and is usually not offensive (Purnell, 2019).
Moreover, adoption is not appropriate in the Arab culture attributable to the loss of identity and family name. Nonetheless, the Quran promises great reward for taking care of orphans. Arabs may assist individuals who require assistance as foster children are not deemed one’s own under their cultural practices, and cannot act as family heirs. Nevertheless, in situations where a suckling mother happens to breastfeed an orphan, such a child is connected with the family and is assigned more rights.
Use of Eye Contact
Although the use of eye contact by Arabs is considered normal between friends and family members, it is highly discouraged amid strangers, persons of the opposite sex, and people of different age groups. Practitioner-patient relationship with eye contact is influenced by cultural values of Arabs associated with sex and the need to uphold modesty, especially for women (Marzilli, 2016). As much as possible, when dealing with Arabs, eye contact should be avoided in an attempt to sustain females’ modesty (be it a patient or caregiver) and to act as a sign of respect. When Arab patients avoid eye contact with health professionals, it should not be interpreted as a lack of trust or indication of rejection.
Significance of Gestures and Facial Expressions
Some communication is not anchored in language as people may articulate their thoughts, feelings, or ideas through facial expressions, eye contact, or gestures. There is a need to comprehend non-verbal communication in a given culture since it is an essential component in the development of cross-cultural connections. In the Arab culture, frowning, moving the chin back, and producing a clicking sound with the tongue signifies refusal, “no”. In other cultures, this may appear rude but Arabs simply use it as an acceptable means of refutation (Li, Abdulkerim, Jordan, & Son, 2017).
Even if Arabs like to articulate their greetings loudly, a warm smile while touching the heart is encouraged. In the Arab culture, pointing one’s finger up toward the sky indicates that it is upon God and not human to determine fate. However, pointing the finger towards the sky while shaking it has a different meaning since it signifies that one is being judged for wrong conduct. It is vital to take note of the gesture or facial expression articulated to avoid misunderstanding.
Acceptable Means of Standing and Greeting People
In the Arabian culture, age is strongly associated with seniority, which makes it common for a young person to stand up the moment an older person gets into the room or to greet the oldest individual in the house. Arabs usually provide less personal space than is typical in the West hence will stand or sit very close to another person. Additionally, handshakes are soft when greeting Arabs, which makes a firm clasp or fist-pumping activity offensive. However, it is common for people to hold hands longer than it may be considered comfortable in other cultures since it is taken to be an indication of reverence and welcome (Li et al., 2017).
In the cultural practices of Arabs, it is appropriate for a female to place her hand over the heart and to say hello when greeting a male friend. It is highly discouraged for male friends to embrace each other and is unusual for them to hug or have cheek kisses. Unlike their female counterparts, male non-Muslims should not try to shake the hand of a woman. Moreover, non-Muslim females should not end the handshake before their Muslim counterparts do.
The Prevailing Temporal Relation
All cultures are comparable in that they all manage time and have discernment of dimension. Nevertheless, different cultures vary with respect to the dimension that they put emphasis on among the past, present, or future. Arabian culture’s worldview is past-oriented because it cherishes its cultural roots, history, and traditions. This is particularly attributable to well-built religious practices that underscore standards such as family values (Marzilli, 2016).
Furthermore, in the culture of Arabs, an individual has no power to establish her future as that is considered only possible with God. In Arab culture, public communication viewpoints should underscore cultural heritage and the manner in which the past is significant for the future. This is different from other cultures, for example, in the US, which is future-oriented as it puts worth on prospective human possibilities.
The Impact on Nursing and Health Care
Culture and religious beliefs have a great impact on a person’s conduct, attitude, convictions toward health and illness, and healthcare. Attributable to perceived limitations in medical attention, the Arab culture is at a heightened risk for numerous diseases. In this culture, there is a need for patients to be attended to by nurses and physicians of a similar gender as theirs. This is particularly vital when the patient is in need of gynaecological or obstetric care (Li et al., 2017).
Such restrictions might encompass gender inclination of practitioners, modesty, and misconstruction regarding the causes of diseases. Arab patients have a feeling that suffering, diseases, pain, and death may arise as a test from the deity and that through illness; people are cleansed from their sins. Moreover, in the Arab culture, medicines that contain alcohol or pork-based are prohibited unless in an emergency. Nurses and health practitioners should be cognizant of Arab culture to offer culturally competent care to such patients. An informed, respectful, and culturally competent approach is vital to enabling patients, nurses, and physicians make proper decisions.
Conclusion
Purnell’s model comprises wide-ranging criteria for cultural components that make it suitable for the examination of Arabs’ communication patterns such as eagerness to share feelings, the consequence of physical touch, eye contact, the insinuation of gestures, and the effect on nursing and health care. Physical touch is a significant concern among Arabs as it is primarily acceptable in cases of intimate partners, friends, close family members, and people of the same sex.
The use of eye contact by Arabs is deemed normal between friends and family members but highly dejected amid strangers, persons of the opposite sex, and people of unlike age groups. Culture has a great influence on a person’s conduct, feelings, and convictions toward health, sickness, and healthcare. Nurses and other health professionals should be well-informed of Arab culture to provide culturally competent care to such patients.
References
Attum, B., Waheed, A., & Shamoon, Z. (2019). Cultural competence in the care of Muslim patients and their families. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing. Web.
Li, C., Abdulkerim, N., Jordan, C. A., & Son, C. G. E. (2017). Overcoming communication barriers to healthcare for culturally and linguistically diverse patients. North American Journal of Medicine and Science, 10(3), 103-110. Web.
Marzilli, C. (2016). Assessment of cultural competence in Texas nursing faculty. Nurse Education Today, 45, 225-229. Web.
Purnell, L. (2019). Update: The Purnell theory and model for culturally competent health care. Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 30(2), 98-105. Web.
Purnell, L. D., & Fenkl, E. A. (2019). Handbook for culturally competent care. Switzerland: Springer Nature.