Expatriate non-Muslim nurses' experiences of working in a cardiac intensive care unit in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Nursing Muslim patients in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) poses challenges for expatriate non-Muslim nurses. Caring for Muslim patients in a cardiac intensive care unit, catering for patients who underwent open heart surgery, poses unique challenges to non-Muslim nurses. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 63 non-Muslim nurses who cared for Muslim patients who had undergone cardiac surgery. Factors that influenced non Muslim nurses’ experiences of working with Muslim patients in the KSA, included culture shock, language barriers and a lack of understanding of Islam as a religion. In-service education sessions, addressing these issues, could enhance non-Muslim nurses' abilities to render culture competent care to Muslim patients in a cardiac intensive care unit in the KSA. Arabic-English translators could facilitate communication between the expatriate nurses and the Muslim patients.