Overview
With more discussions around culturally competent and patient centered care, it is imperative to discuss Muslim American patients and their needs. This group, representing a variety of backgrounds and ethnicities, come with a unique set of needs for their care brought by their faith. We are conducting a study to explore such needs of Muslim American patients in healthcare/hospital settings. This will allow us to identify gaps Muslims face and to make recommendations for how to resolve them.
Significance
Through this study, we are hoping to (1) identify the gaps Muslim Americans face in our healthcare system, (2) explore how demographic and religious factors modify Muslim Americans’ healthcare experiences, and (3) create policy-based recommendations for hospitals to better tailor their care for this patient population. This data will be able to inform hospitals and medical policymakers on how Muslim patient care can be improved and made more equitable.
This IRB-approved study will be surveying Muslim patients across the country and surveys will be distributed in 4 phases. During the first phase of survey distribution, regional survey distribution teams will identify health clinics that cater to large Muslim patient populations. In the second phase, regional survey distribution teams will identify and engage with mosques in their region. The third phase will aim to identify and survey Muslims at large national conferences/gatherings, such as those held by ICNA-MAS and ISNA. The fourth and final phase will encompass distributing the survey via Islam & Medicine social media accounts, Muslim national organization listservs, community WhatsApp groups.
Through these four phases, we hope to gain a robust database to determine ways in which the Healthcare system is failing to serve Muslim patients across the country. This data will then be used to inform hospitals and medical policymakers regarding means by which Muslim patient care can be improved and made more equitable.
Project Significance
Through this study, we are hoping to
Identify the gaps Muslim Americans face in our healthcare system,
Explore how demographic and religious factors modify Muslim Americans’ healthcare experiences, and
Create policy-based recommendations for hospitals to better tailor their care for this patient population. This data will be able to inform hospitals and medical policymakers on how Muslim patient care can be improved and made more equitable.
Methodology
This IRB-approved study was conducted between 2020 – 2021. It included a 74-item survey asking participants about their experiences during hospital stays, religiosity, coping, discrimination, and demographic factors.
Pre-COVID, our model of recruitment was based on a 4 step process of recruitment: (1) clinics, (2) mosques, (3) conferences, and (4) social media. We created regional project teams across the country, meeting monthly to discuss strategies on how to recruit participants. Once everything became virtual, we decided to shift our gears and put all of our focus on social media. In addition to the regional project teams, we created a National Steering Committee, a group of national Muslim health organizations to help with recruitment and ideas for data analysis. This committee includes the Association of Muslim Chaplains (AMC), Khalil Center, IMAN Network, Stanford Muslim Mental Health Lab (SMMHL), and the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA)
We worked to create social media campaigns for recruitment and raise funds through Launchgood to fund our data analysis. Once recruitment was completed, members of the regional project teams and representatives from the National Steering Committee all joined groups to work on different papers: Muslim Patient Needs, Religious Coping, Chaplaincy, and Discrimination. We are also working on a policy report.
- Our study is founded upon community participation and you can help by participating in the study! If you are Muslim and at least 18 years old, you can take part in the study and fill out the survey by clicking here or scanning the adjacent QR code!
- Pre-COVID, our model of recruitment was based on a 4 step process of recruitment: (1) clinics, (2) mosques, (3) Conferences, and (4) social media. We created regional project teams across the country, meeting monthly to discuss strategies on how to recruit participants. Once everything became virtual, we decided to shift our gears and put all of our focus on social media. In addition to the regional project teams, we created a National Steering Committee, a group of national Muslim health organizations to help with recruitment and ideas for data analysis. This committee includes the Association of Muslim Chaplains (AMC), Khalil Center, IMAN Network, Stanford Muslim Mental Health Lab (SMMHL), and the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA)
- We worked to create social media campaigns for recruitment and raise funds through Launchgood to fund our data analysis. Once recruitment was completed, members of the regional project teams and representatives from the National Steering Committee all joined groups to work on different papers: Muslim Patient Needs, Religious Coping, Chaplaincy, and Discrimination. We are also working on a policy report.
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Project Overview
Project Significance
- Identify the gaps Muslim Americans face in our healthcare system,
- Explore how demographic and religious factors modify Muslim Americans’ healthcare experiences, and
- Create policy-based recommendations for hospitals to better tailor their care for this patient population. This data will be able to inform hospitals and medical policymakers on how Muslim patient care can be improved and made more equitable.
Methodology
Interested In Volunteering?
If you are interested in volunteering to help with this study and be on a survey distribution team, please reach out to your Regional Project Manager. Contacts for regional project managers can be found here.
Our study is founded upon community participation and you can help by participating in the study! If you are Muslim and at least 18 years old, you can take part in the study and fill out the survey by clicking here or scanning the adjacent QR code!
Partner Organizations
Results
