Cultural Thoughts on Palliative Care in UAE

Abstract

Nesreen Al-Alfi, RN, MSN Fatima College for Health Care The focus of this article was to highlight the influence of culture based on compiled notes Sciences and observations, that resulted following various interactions with the Emirati and expatriate Abu Dhabi, UAE care providers, in addition to the observed situations in a clinical setting, as patients and their E-mail: Nesreen_alalfi@yahoo.com families try to steer their way through the complexities of making decisions related to the end- of-life. The emergence of a new policy like “Allow Natural Death”, may have brought a certain Special Edition 1 degree of relief to the clinical practitioners, but to implement this policy, many measures should Article Ref. #: 1000PMHCOJSE1111 be taken into account. Culture is one of the most important factors that influences communica- tion, the decision-making process, and perceptions regarding wellness and illness. As a result, cultural factors must be considered while planning care and hospitality, especially in the treat- Article History ment of terminal diseases. The real challenge lies in understanding the unique structure of the Received: April 1st, 2017 community and the work force in the healthcare sectors of United Arab Emirates (UAE). This Accepted: May 16th, 2017 article presents culture as a unique example to run a fully functioning palliative care service Published: June 7th, 2017 in UAE, where cultural diversity poses a challenge to the holistic approach we aim for when dealing with patients as individuals. Citation Al-Alfi N. Cultural thoughts on pal-