The Association between Health and Culture: The Perspective of Older Adult Hospital In-Patients in Israel

Ahuva Even-Zohar, Varda Shtanger, Anat Israeli, Emma Averbuch, Gad Segal, Haim Mayan, Shmuel Steinlauf, Alex Galper and Eyal Zimlichman
Additional contact information
Ahuva Even-Zohar: Faculty of Social Sciences, School of Social Work, Ariel University, Ariel 40700, Israel
Varda Shtanger: Quality Assurance Department Patient Report Outcome Measures, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Ha Shomer 52620, Israel
Anat Israeli: Internal Nursing Wing, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Ha Shomer 52620, Israel
Emma Averbuch: Reduction of Health Inequalities Unit in the Administration for Strategic and Economic Planning at the Israeli Ministry of Health, Jerusalem 9101002, Israel
Gad Segal: Internal Medicine, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Ha Shomer 52620, Israel
Haim Mayan: Internal Medicine, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Ha Shomer 52620, Israel
Shmuel Steinlauf: Internal Medicine, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Ha Shomer 52620, Israel
Alex Galper: Quality Assurance Department Patient Report Outcome Measures, Tele-Health Project, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Ha Shomer 52620, Israel
Eyal Zimlichman: Innovative and Quality Assurance Department, Sheba Medical Center, Tel Ha Shomer 52620, Israel

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-12

Abstract: People from different cultures are often hospitalized while the staff treating them do not have sufficient knowledge about the attitudes and feelings of the patients regarding culture and health. To fill this gap, the aim of this study was to examine the perspective of Israeli older adult hospital in-patients regarding the association between health and culture and to understand the meaning of the participants’ experiences with regards to the medical staff’s attitude towards them. This study was carried out using qualitative methodology that followed the interpretive interactionism approach. The research participants were 493 (mean age 70.81, S.D.: 15.88) in-patients at internal care departments at a hospital in Israel who answered an open-ended question included in the questionnaire as part of a wide study held during 2017 to 2018. Two main themes were found: (1) a humane attitude of respect and the right to privacy and (2) beliefs, values, and traditional medicine that are passed down through generations. The findings highlighted the issue of the patients’ cultural heritage and ageist attitudes they ascribed to the professional staff. This study provided recommendations for training the in-patient hospital workforce on the topic of cultural competence, beginning from the stage of diagnosis through treatment and to discharge from the hospital, in order to improve the service.

Keywords: health; culture; older adults; hospital in-patients; ageism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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