Discriminatory Care: Part One

We provide service to caregivers and infants in their home.  We are in an urban centre and provide service to rural and urban clients.  We have various ethnic/race/religious groups both in the city and rural areas.  Usually we are visiting with mothers and their babies.  

Recently we had an instance where I told the mother that their Parent Infant Therapist would be starting soon and the name, a male staff member, the only one we have.  She looked shocked and dismayed and I asked if that was a problem.  She was muslim and she was uncomfortable with a male visiting her in the home while her husband was not there.  I told her to discuss it with her husband and that it is not a problem if she wanted a female, that she would wait 2 extra weeks but I would give service in the meantime if needed. Was this unreasonable?  I don't think so, many women would feel vulnerable in their homes with a stranger visiting, especially a male.  We try to respect the clients wishes and will not send a male alone to a muslim or amish/mennonite home unless we are sure it's ok.  If we know a woman has suffered abuse or trauma we may also be more sensitive.  We are priviledged to go into the homes of families and give them control over who they will allow in.  

Two years ago I had a patient say, "I'm not having a bloody Yank in my home!" when I arrived to provide therapy in England. We worked with CNAs accompanying us. She was a locale and advised the gentleman that it would be a long wait for an English physio as we currently had only one on our team. She also suggested that he could go back into the hospital if he didn't want my care. He consented. She was more livid than I at the time. It is always the patient's right to refuse care, we have the responsibility to inform them of the possible outcomes of refusing care and then they get to make that decision. We have to behave ethically, they don't. It can be difficult to not take it personally, but don't, you make a very good point about having people wanting to work with you that can make full productive use of your time.

Skip,

Oftentimes I worked in a predominately male environment.  Female therapists were not available and when a patient would make a request to have a female they were told there were none available.  The female patient either participated in therapy or was d/c'd early for being non compliant with her care by the insurance company.  

This may not seem fair to the patient but suppose the company fired one of us males to hire a female.  Would it be fair to the male therapist just to appease a patients request?  Now put a racial spin on it and see how fair it looks to the patient, the caregiver and the company who tries to please them both.

I have been working in healthcare a long time as a male PTA.  I have to tell you that I completely understand a female patients preference for a female healthcare provider.  I do not see this as a threat to my job.   I think this is becoming more and more the norm and, based on the amount of sexual abuse lawsuits, most likely a good thing too.