Abstract
BackgroundA growing Muslim population in the UK suggests the need for healthcare professionals (HCPs) to gain a better understanding of how the Islamic faith influences health related perceptions and healthcare seeking behaviour. Although some researchers have explored the experiences of Muslim women as recipients of healthcare, little attention has been paid to the challenges HCPs face as service providers on a day-to-day basis whilst caring for Muslim women. The aim of this study was to investigate HPCs lived experiences of providing maternity care for Muslim women.MethodData was collected through twelve semi-structured one-to-one qualitative interviews with HCPs in a large National Health Service (NHS) maternity unit located in the North West of England. Interview participants included Community and specialist clinic (e.g. clinic for non-English speakers), Midwives in a variety of specialist roles (7), Gynaecology Nurses (2), Breastfeeding Support Workers (2) and a Sonographer (1). The audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed thematically.ResultsThe majority of participants expressed an understanding of some religious values and practices related to Muslim women, such as fasting the month of Ramadhan and that pregnant and breastfeeding women are exempt from this. However, HCPs articulated the challenges they faced when dealing with certain religious values and practices, and how they tried to respond to Muslim women’s specific needs. Emerging themes included: 1) HCPs perceptions about Muslim women; 2) HCPs understanding and awareness of religious practices; 3) HCPs approaches in addressing and supporting Muslim women’s religious needs; 4) Importance of training in providing culturally and religiously appropriate woman-centred care.ConclusionThrough this study we gained insight into the day-to-day experiences of HCPs providing care provision for Muslim women. HCPs showed an understanding of the importance of religious and cultural practices in addressing the needs of Muslim women as part of their role as maternity care providers. However, they also identified a need to develop training programmes that focus on cultural and religious practices and their impact on women’s health care needs. This will help support HCPs in overcoming the challenges faced when dealing with needs of women from different backgrounds.
Highlights
A growing Muslim population in the UK suggests the need for healthcare professionals (HCPs) to gain a better understanding of how the Islamic faith influences health related perceptions and healthcare seeking behaviour
HCPs showed an understanding of the importance of religious and cultural practices in addressing the needs of Muslim women as part of their role as maternity care providers
Two participants suggested that ‘Muslim women need to learn English’ to improve their experience of maternity care. This was qualified by several participants who reported encounters where they had been concerned about the extent to which, Muslim women were making their own clinical decisions when they attended with their husbands
Summary
A growing Muslim population in the UK suggests the need for healthcare professionals (HCPs) to gain a better understanding of how the Islamic faith influences health related perceptions and healthcare seeking behaviour. There have been many improvements, over several decades, to childbirth services in the UK These changes, emphasise the importance of a personalised and womancentred approach to care in enhancing the experiences of women using maternity services [1,2,3]. UK maternity care policies explicitly advocate for a woman-centred approach to maternity care that is accessible, efficient and responsive to the changing needs of women, and ensures choice, access and continuity of care. Existing evidence suggests that women from different Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds in the UK continue to be at higher risk of poorer maternal health outcomes compared with women from a white background [4, 5]. Maternal mortality rates are five times higher for women from Black ethnic backgrounds and three times higher for women from Asian ethnic backgrounds compared with White women [5]
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