Case Study

CASE STUDY

An elderly Arab American Muslim man who spoke little English was admitted to the hospital for increasing pain at rest in his left foot. His foot was cool and pale, and he had a history of vascular surgical procedures. He had many chronic health problems, including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He also had had a myocardial infarction and several cerebral vascular accidents. While in the hospital, he developed abdominal pain and underwent a cholecystectomy. This elderly grandfather had a large family, including a wife, nine children, and many grandchildren. His wife insisted that all family members visit him daily while he was in the hospital. The family wanted the man’s face turned toward Mecca (toward the east) while they prayed with him. They brought audiotaped passages from the Koran, which they played at his bedside. Other families who were visiting their sick relatives complained to the nurses that the Arab family was taking up the entire waiting room, and there was no place for anyone else to sit.

As a transcultural nurse, how might you use the three modes of culture care decisions and actions from the theory of culture care diversity and universality to provide culturally congruent care for this elderly man and his family and for the other clients and their families in the critical care unit?