In terms of healthcare issues, Jewish Americans are most concerned about genetic diseases. These include such conditions as Tay – Sachs disease and Familial dysautonomia (Sun Sentinel, 2010). It is also necessary to mention the most common one, which is Gaucher disease (NFG, n.d.). Experts note that “one out of every 10 Ashkenazi Jews carrying the mutated gene that causes the disease” (National Gaucher Foundation, n.d., para. 8). Arab Americans are primarily concerned with proper and respectful treatment (Perry-Gilkes, 2018). Muslims are culturally sensitive people and require appropriate treatment from physicians and nurses.
Americans of Arab descent are a minority population that frequently faces discrimination and prejudice. Based on the described personal experiences of the people in the video, one can say that Arab Americans are often faced with unfair treatment due to stereotypes associated with religious extremism (SoulPancake, 2016). Many American-born Arabs also felt that Americans were antagonistic towards them (SoulPancake, 2016). Jews as a community have a long history of living in Western society, but they still face some forms of discrimination. As noted above, there is a high prevalence of genetic diseases in them. It means that it is challenging for many Jewish people in America to get access to screening services and drugs for genetic conditions.
Cultural competence is the key for physicians and nurses to understand which treatment methods are best for Arab Americans. To be more specific, health workers should understand the concept of hahal and the relationship between genders in Islam (Perry-Gilkes, 2018). For example, Islamic religious precepts make it impossible to prescribe certain drugs and prohibit certain practices (Perry-Gilkes, 2018). Therefore, medical professionals should prescribe medications that do not contain alcohol to patients of Arab origin. Another measure to improve the treatment process and patient outcomes of Arab Americans include the same-gender type of relationship between medical professional and specialist.
Appropriate and effective treatment of Jewish Americans also requires well-developed cultural awareness from medical workers. Jews also have a religious diet called kosher, so medical professionals should always consider it when prescribing medication and treatment. Screening procedures such as blood tests can prevent genetic diseases in Jewish patients (Jnetics UK, 2017). Parenting counseling, assessment, and analysis of spouses’ health records will ensure healthy children are born. Healthcare providers are encouraged to advocate for greater access for Jews to screening services to improve the health of the Jewish community in the United States.
References
Jnetics UK. (2017). Why screen for Jewish genetic disorders? [Video]. Youtube.
National Gaucher Foundation. (n.d.). The 5 most common Ashkenazi genetic diseases. National Gaucher Foundation.
Perry-Gilkes, L. (2018). 5 best practices for treating your Muslim patients. MDatl.com.
SoulPancake. (2016). Arab | How you see me [Video]. Youtube.
Sun Sentinel. (2010). Jewish genetic disorders [Video]. Youtube.