Experiences of corporality and embodiment in the care for female Islamic patients from Turkish and Moroccan descent: a multi-perspective qualitative study in acute care units of general hospitals in Flanders, Belgium.

The phenomenon of ethnic-cultural diversity in Flanders brings brought about many challenges. A particular challenge is situated on the level of hospital care for female Islamic immigrant patients from Turkish and Moroccan descent. Here, physicians and nurses are being confronted with ethnic-cultural challenges in the field of diagnostic and therapeutic treatment and care (like gender issues in gynecological research, or treatment plan compliance during the Ramadan, etc.), and in the field of hygienic care (issues regarding modesty), especially in situations of acute hospital care (like emergency care and intensive care). Due to scarce research data, it is not clear for care providers to get an idea of “the right thing to do” in such care relationships. In order to provide clarity in this field, we will examine the experiences of corporality and embodiment in the care for these patients in general hospitals in Flanders. We will do this (a) in the context of diagnostic and therapeutic treatment and care, and (b) in the context of daily hygienic care. The focus of our qualitative research analysis will be threefold: focus on the experiences of (1) the patients (first, second and third generation), (2) the physicians, and (3) the nurses. We aim at 60 in-depth interviews. Consequently, we will develop professional guidelines to support the clinical-ethical quality of cross-cultural hospital care.