"Treat Me Like a Person": Unveiling Healthcare Narratives of Muslim Women who Wear Islamic Head Coverings Through a Poststructural Narrative Study.
Rezwana Rahman, Jennifer Lapum, Nadia Prendergast
PMID 38831603WHAT IT FOUND
Eight Muslim women in Canada described healthcare encounters in which their visible head covering was met with assumptions, rushed care, or discrimination, but also feeling heard when providers respected modesty and privacy requests.
Preferences varied widely.
Key findings
01The women did not have uniform healthcare preferences: one said she would postpone care if a female provider was not available, while another was comfortable receiving care from a male provider.
02Participants described discrimination and assumptions in care, including being asked to remove the head covering, being expected to be quiet, and not being believed about symptoms.
03Some participants felt heard when providers respected religious needs, such as referring to a female dermatologist or using a female nurse for vaccination.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Eight patients were interviewed, so this describes a small group of English-speaking Muslim women living in Canada, not all Muslim women or all healthcare settings. The study did not test whether provider actions changed care outcomes, so it reports experiences, not proof that an accommodation or policy works. Most participants were South Asian or East African, and the authors note Black Muslim women were not included, so some perspectives may be missing. The lead researcher was a Muslim woman who wears a head covering and a nurse, which may help participants share but also shapes interpretation. Recruitment used social media posters and all interviews were virtual, so the sample may reflect women willing and able to participate that way.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that all Muslim women who wear head coverings want female providers, private rooms, or modesty accommodations. The eight participants described different preferences, and the study did not test whether provider actions improve care.