Religious Values and Healthcare Accommodations: Voices from the American Muslim Community
Open accessAbstract
Background Minority populations receive a lower quality healthcare in part due to the inadequate assessment of, and cultural adaptations to meet, their culturally informed healthcare needs. The seven million American Muslims, while ethnically and racially diverse, share religiously informed healthcare values that influence their expectations of healthcare. There is limited empirical research on this community's preferences for cultural modifications in healthcare delivery. Objective Identify healthcare accommodations requested by American Muslims. Methods Using community-based participatory research (CBPR) methods, we partnered with four community organizations in the Greater Detroit area to design and conduct thirteen focus groups at area mosques serving African American, Arab American, and South Asian American Muslims. Qualitative content analysis utilized a framework team-based approach. Key results Participants reported stigmatization within the healthcare system and voiced the need for culturally competent healthcare providers. In addition, they identified three key healthcare accommodations to address Muslim sensitivities: the provision of (1) gender-concordant care, (2) halal food and (3) a neutral prayer space. Gender concordance was requested based on Islamic conceptions of modesty and privacy. Halal food was deemed to be health-promoting and therefore integral to the healing process. Lastly, a neutral prayer space was requested to ensure security and privacy during worship. Conclusions This study informs efforts to deliver high-quality healthcare to American Muslims in several ways. We note three specific healthcare accommodations requested by this community and the religious values underlying these requests. Healthcare systems can further cultural sensitivity, engender trust, and improve the healthcare experiences of American Muslims by understanding and then attempting to accommodate these values as much as possible.
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The respect of religious freedom has long been considered a basic civil right.
“The respect of religious freedom has long been considered a basic civil right [63].”
From ESPEN guideline on hospital nutrition (2021) · cites this paper as [63]
The Cultural Competence and Priorities for Healthcare Accommodation sections discuss respect for Muslim patients’ beliefs and requests for religious accommodations. Neither those passages nor searches for religious freedom and civil rights address whether religious freedom has long been considered a basic civil right. (LLM, conf=0.72)
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ESPEN guideline on hospital nutrition
Thibault, R., Abbasoglu, O., Ioannou, E., Meija, L., Ottens-Oussoren, K., Pichard, C., Rothenberg, E., Rubin, D., Siljamäki-Ojansuu, U., Vaillant, M.-F., et al. (2021) · Clinical Nutrition · doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2021.09.039 · Cited by 259 · see citing works
Religion and Disparities: Considering the Influences of Islam on the Health of American Muslims
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Padela, A. I., Gunter, K., Killawi, A., & Heisler, M.
- Affiliations
- University of Chicago (US)
- University of Michigan (US)
- Corresponding author
- Padela, Aasim I.
- Venue
- Journal of General Internal Medicine
- Published
- 2012-01-04
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 708-715
- ISSN
- 0884-8734 (ISSN-L)
- 1525-1497
- PMC
- PMC3358400
- OpenAlex
- W2005503220
- Cited by
- 146
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 19 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 8 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 13 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 21.10
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Journal of General Internal Medicine (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (P30DK092926)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Cultural Competency in Health Care
- Social Sciences › Health › Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Ethics and bioethics in healthcare
- Keywords
- Muslim Americans, religious values, cultural competence, halal food, African American Muslims, mosques
- MeSH terms
- Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Attitude to Health, Delivery of Health Care, Female, Health Priorities, Humans, Islam, Male, Michigan, Middle Aged, Minority Groups, Prejudice, Religion and Medicine, Sex Factors, Health Behavior, Focus Groups, Needs Assessment, Cultural Competency, Community-Based Participatory Research, Young Adult
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