Measuring physicians’ religious competence in clinical health communication context: female Muslim immigrant patients’ expectations
International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care
ISSN: 1747-9894
Article publication date: 2 December 2022
Issue publication date: 16 March 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This exploratory study aims to examine female Muslim immigrant patients’ expectations of physicians’ religious competence during clinical interactions.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 101 female Muslim immigrants in Ottawa, Canada, completed an eight-item survey measuring patients’ expectations of physicians’ religious competence during clinical communication.
Findings
Results from the independent samples t-tests and one-way ANOVA suggested that female Muslim immigrant patients in this study expected their doctors to be aware of Islam as a religion and be sensitive to their religious needs, especially food/dietary practices during clinical communication. Although the participants did not differ in their expectations of physicians’ religious competence based on age, educational level, employment status and income level, they differed based on their frequencies of visiting doctors and their ethnic/cultural origin.
Originality/value
This study fills a gap in the literature by advancing understanding of religious competence during clinical interactions from female Muslim immigrant patients’ perspective. The findings can contribute to developing religiously competent and accessible health-care services for religiously diverse populations.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Rukhsana Ahmed has been the recipient of Grants to Co-Investigators Research Program under the Religion and Diversity Project, a Major Collaborative Research Initiatives (MCRI) of Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). She would like to thank the Religion and Diversity Project at the University of Ottawa, an MCRI of SSHRC, Canada. She would also like to thank the research assistants, and, most importantly, the survey participants for their time and sharing their experiences.
Citation
Ahmed, R. and Mao, Y. (2023), "Measuring physicians’ religious competence in clinical health communication context: female Muslim immigrant patients’ expectations", International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, Vol. 19 No. 1, pp. 16-27. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJMHSC-02-2022-0020
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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