I'm doing a study abroad at my school this summer in Abu Dhabi. This is for nursing students at my school, but I'm pre-med and since I'm an EMT they allowed me to come along. It's suppose to be strictly observational and we will be working inside a hospital. I've never been out of the United States and know little about the region.
I'm curious about the differences between the American medical system and the medical system in the UAE. For example, I understand the seperation of men and women in that country. But, how does a male doctor (or other medical personnel) handle a female patient? Especially if they need to expose her. Or even, what can a female doctor do to a female patient (or male). I'm even more curious about pre-hospital care, which I'm thinking of doing my report on. Personally, I'd love to do a ride along in an ambulance (especially if their sirens are different). But questions I'd address is again as stated earlier, how would a male medic handle a female patient if they needed to be exposed? What about children (even male to male)? Also, what kind of emergencies are common out there? Will there be a lot of MVAs, MIs, GSWs, heat stroke, etc.
Then some other OT questions.
What to do over there? I think I have Friday and Saturday to myself and I'll be allowed to go through the city. Any things to check out and see? How should I dress? WHAT NOT TO DO?
Thanks in Advance
Paramedic To The Prince isn't about UAE, it is about Saudi, and it is one person's view. I personally would not recommend it, but that is just my opinion.
Standard practice in Saudi, and much of the rest of the ME (including UAE), for both pre hospital and in hospital male practitioners is to ask the eldest or closest available male relative for permission when treating a female patient. When I worked over there, I never had any issue treating a female patient, as I always approached with respect.
In regards to exposing females, you would be surprised how much treatment you can get done without exposing. There is also modified exposure techniques for doing certain things like 12 leads. In addition to that, you can always direct the oldest male relative or another female in the household in how to provide certain care and apply certain medical devices, such as oxygen, CPAP, etc.
Now, when there is a trauma or full arrest, we took as much care as we could to maintain the patient's modesty, but it was understood by 99% of the families that the modesty took a back seat to providing care for the patient.
I only ran into one issue where the family took exception to this, and most of it had to do with the language barrier and tension of the situation. We were lucky to have a Saudi police officer arrive who helped diffuse the situation and translate, and after all was said and done the family understood and was thankful. This particular case also involved a Bedouin family literally in a desert camp about 75 miles outside of town. They were particularly traditional and not used to having much outside involvement in their affairs, so it was just a volatile situation all around.
Like I said, once we were able to communicate and diffuse, things were fine. Contrary to popular belief, most people in the ME are very reasonable, much like here in the US. While they may adhere to more traditional values of their culture, it was rare to run into anyone who allowed that to stand in the way of them getting medical care and attention.
Female nurses and physicians were common in Saudi, and they cared for the male patients, just the same as the female patients. Just like in the US it is always up to the patient as to their level of comfort and modesty.
As far as what types of calls you might see...the top three types of EMS calls in the ME are:
1.) Motor Vehicle Accidents
2.) Motor Vehicle Accidents
3.) Motor Vehicle Accidents
They are called RTAs over there, meaning Road Traffic Accident. The driving is crazy, and unfortunately, their are multiple fatalities daily in most major cities, sometimes as many as 10 or more in a single day for a single city. In Riyadh it was not uncommon for me to see one or two DOS patients every shift. It was just a fact of life there. You will likely get to witness some of the most intense trauma you have ever seen, I know I did.
In addition to trauma, there were many diabetics and frequent breathing issues.
Other than that, it was the usual stuff.
As far as dress...wear comfortable clothes. Shirts that cover the shoulders, shorts that go to the knees at least. It is probably best to wear long pants until you get a feel for the area, but more than likely you won't catch any flack for wearing shorts. If you are really brave, get a thobe, the traditional Middle Eastern clothing. I had two thobes I wore around town, and loved them. There is nothing better to wear in the summer, and the locals thought it was awesome.
I loved my time in Saudi. I met some of the most amazing people and have friends for the rest of my life. I visited some of the places we are currently hearing about in the news (Bahrain, Qatar, Egypt) and it makes me both happy and sad to see what is going on in some of those areas...
Anyway, I am happy to answer questions for you if I can. Be careful who you listen to about that area, different people have different experiences, but for everyone I saw who went there with an open mind and respectful attitude, myself included, the experience was second to none, and the people were the most hospitable and friendly I have ever met. Most people whonhave bad things to say about the region either haven't been, or went over there, made a jerk of themselves, and were treated like they deserved to be treated.
