The art of knowing: Designing a nursing professional development program based on American nurses’ experiences of providing care to Arab Muslims

Abstract

Objective and methods: The purpose of this project was to gain insight into American nurses’ experiences of providing care to Arab Muslims in order to design a nursing professional development program that supports the provision of culturally congruent care to Arab Muslims. Empirical, personal, ethical, and aesthetic ways of knowing were used to generate a comprehensive view of how American nurses describe their experiences of providing care to Arab Muslims.

Results: Prevailing themes included culture care knowledge, modesty, gender-specific considerations, privacy and dignity, cleanliness, worship rites, and the concept of In Shallah. Not having enough time was a significant factor influencing nurses’ intentions to provide culturally congruent care. Nurses also shared that it was less important to meet the culture care needs of acutely or critically ill patients.

Conclusions: The themes underscored the value of including empirical, personal, ethical, and aesthetic knowledge in the design of a nursing professional development programs in the United States and globally.