Land Law

A husband and his wife came for medical attention into the Orthopaedic Outpatient Department. Following long term persistent degenerative disc changes to her spine, Amelia (pseudonym for confidentiality reasons, ((NMC) 2015) now needs urgent lumber back surgery. The couple are from Pakistan, wife speaks no English, and husband, Mr Adam Hunt, (pseudonym) has limited English proficiency (LEP). A professional interpreter was requested and in attendance but happened to be male as he was the only one available who is familiar with the dialect from the part of Pakistan the clients came from. Amelia looked uncomfortable, reluctant and intimidated therefore very reluctant to comply when asked to strip so surgeon could examine her. They are Muslim, hence the reasoning for her unwillingness to be seen by a male examiner or surgeon. Women prefer to be looked after by women and a female doctor would be appreciated wherever possible (Dixon 2009). Dignity is highly valued in providing quality care especially with aspects such as; respect, privacy, autonomy and self-worth (Baillie 2011). The dilemma is that there are no female spinal surgeons within the Trust employed at present. In addition to this there are possible cultural clashes between the male surgeon, male interpreter and the Muslim woman and her partner therefore making it difficult to gain informed consent. According to some Asian cultures, females are protected from outside influences, it is considered inappropriate to ask questions about another man’s wife or other female relatives if you are a man; the expectation is that the most senior person, by age or position makes decisions that are in the best interests of the group (Dixon 2009)