Lebanon
Dear fellow caregivers,
You welcome a patient from Lebanon.
Here is a list of useful information to know in the context of his medical care.
General Information
Distance Paris ✈ Beirut : 2610 miles
6.8 million inhabitants / Average salary: $633 per month
Literacy rate: 93.9% / Life expectancy: 79 years
Spoken language : Arabic
● The most common infectious diseases are: COVID-19, yellow fever, hepatitis A and B, Mers-CoV, rabies, tuberculosis, typhoid, and Zika.
Communication
● Some women may feel embarrassed to shake your hand. They will prefer to place their hand on their chest as a greeting.
● In Lebanon, being on first-name terms is common, as being on formal terms is considered very formal.
● Family holds an important place and can be omnipresent when making decisions.
● In general, Lebanese people prefer to be cared for by health professionals of the same gender as themselves, especially women.
● Lebanese individuals appreciate having a supportive family member to help with care.
Beliefs, Practices & Rituals
● There are 18 recognized religious denominations in Lebanon. Among the most important are Muslims (48%) and Christians (46%).
● In several Lebanese religious communities, still many unions are between minors or between minors and adults.
Eating habits
This section is not yet filled in. Feel free to propose your contribution, respecting the principle of neutrality and citing your sources if necessary. Thank you for your contribution!
Pregnancy and motherhood
● In Lebanon, abortion is illegal, except in cases of danger to the pregnant woman. In this case, the agreement of two additional doctors will be required, in addition to the one who will perform the abortion.
End-of-life care
● Sometimes the family does not tell the patient concerned that he or she is at the end of life, especially in the case of a serious illness.
● In Lebanon, relatives prefer to bury the body on the day of death whenever possible.
● The Lebanese place a very high value on life after death.
● Death is sometimes seen as fate. For many, the date and cause of death is predicted from birth.
● Anyone over the age of 18 can decide to donate her organs upon her death. He or she must fill out a form on the country’s official website.
Examples
This section allows us to share experiences. Feel free to share yours with the community.
● Cleveland Clinic – Diversity Toolkit
● Madame Figaro – Au Liban, des centaines de personnes manifestent contre les mariages précoces
● 20minutes – Des centaines de Libanais manifestent contre le mariage précoce
● Madmoizelle.com – L’avortement, “c’est possible, mais tabou”
● Livre de Mona Saouma Nehmé, Jean-François Desbiens et Johanne Gagnon – La pratique infirmière en soin palliatifs auprès de patients atteints de cancer en fin de vie au sein d’une équipe interdisciplinaire : une étude de cas au Liban
● Libnanews – Fin de vie, “un désespoir plus grand que l’amour de la vie”
● Umass Medical School, Lamar Soutter Library – Cultural Approaches to Pediatric Palliative Care in Central Massachusetts : Lebanese