Faten El-Taher

Bio: Faten El-Taher is an academic researcher from Hamad Medical Corporation. The author has contributed to research in topics: Risk assessment & Risk factor. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 18 citations.

Calm Vessels: Cultural Expectations of Pregnant Women in Qatar

Abstract: This article explores emerging themes from the first stage of ethnographic research investigating pregnancy and loss in Qatar. Issues around the development of foetal personhood, the medical management of the pregnant body and the social role of the pregnant woman are explored. Findings suggest that Qatari women are expected to be calm vessels for their growing baby and should avoid certain foods and behaviours. These ideas of risk avoidance are linked to indigenous knowledge around a mother’s influence on a child’s health and traits. Motherhood holds a particularly important place in Qatari culture and in Islam, and women are ultimately responsible for protecting and promoting fertility and for producing healthy children.

Venous Thromboembolism Risk and Adequacy of Prophylaxis in High Risk Pregnancy in the Arabian Gulf.

Abstract: Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk factors in pregnancy and the proportion of pregnancies at risk of VTE that received the recommended prophylaxis according to the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) 2012 published guidelines in antenatal clinics in the Arabian Gulf. Methods: The evaluation of venous thromboembolism (EVE)-Risk project was a non-interventional, cross-sectional, multi-centre, multi-national study of all eligible pregnant women (≥17 years) screened during antenatal clinics from 7 centres in the Arabian Gulf countries (United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman). Pregnant women were recruited during a 3-month period between September and December 2012. Results: Of 4,131 screened pregnant women, 32% (n=1,337) had ≥1 risk factors for VTE. Common VTE risk factors included obesity (76%), multiparity (33%), recurrent miscarriages (9.1%), varicose veins (6.9%), thrombophilia (2.6%), immobilization (2.0%), sickle cell disease (2.8%) and previous VTE (1.6%). Only 8.3% (n=111) of the high risk patients were on the recommended VTE prophylaxis. Enoxaparin was used in 80% (n=89) of the cases followed by tinzaparin (4%; n=4). Antiplatelet agents were prescribed in 11% (n=149) of pregnant women. Of those on anticoagulants (n=111), 59% (n=66) were also co-prescribed antiplatelet agents. Side effects (mainly local bruising at the injection site) were reported in 12% (n=13) of the cases. Conclusion: A large proportion of pregnant women in the Arabian Gulf countries have ≥1 VTE risk factor with even a smaller fraction on prophylaxis. VTE risk assessment must be adopted to identify those at risk who would need VTE prophylaxis.

The Woman in the Body: A Cultural Analysis of Reproduction

Abstract: The Woman in the Body: A Cultural Analysis of Reproduction by Emily Martin Beacon Press, 1987 Paperback, 276 pp $1195 Winner of the 1988 Eileen Basker Memorial Prize As anthropology at its best can do, this book exposes hidden cultural assumptions about the nature of reality Martin has produced a powerful study of the dialectic between medical metaphors for women's reproductive processes and women's own views of those processes She and her associates interviewed 165 white and black women, seeking a balance between the three life stages of puberty, childbearing, and menopause 43% of her interviewees were working-class; 57% middleclass Early on Martin came up against one of the greatest dangers of studying one's own society Hearing women discuss uterine contractions as separate from the self and labor as something one "went through," and reading the same in medical texts, she at first thought that her interviews had turned up views of the body that simply reflected actual scientific fact It took her some time to realize that such scientific views are not "fact" but culturally grounded statements of an underlying ideology To get at this ideology Martin studied medical texts for the "grammar" that scientific medicine uses to describe female bodies In this medical grammar, she finds industrial society writ small The female reproductive tract is a machine designed to produce a baby; accordingly, menstruation represents failed production, connoting both a productive system that has failed to produce and one that produces only useless waste Such metaphors, disturbing to a society whose existence depends upon continued production, lead to menstruation's description in medical texts in highly negative terms: The fall in blood progesterone and estrogen, which results from regression of the corpus luteum, deprives the highly developed endometrial lining of its hormonal support Disintegration starts The endometrial arteries dilate, resulting in hemorrhage through the weakened capillary walls; the menstrual flow consists of this blood mixed with endometrial debris (quoted on p 48) (Martin contrasts this with a description of male reproductive physiology which speaks of the "remarkable" cellular transformation from spermatid to mature sperm, its "amazing" nature and "sheer magnitude") Confronting the argument that the above is not value-laden but simply a factual description of menstruation, Martin examines medical descriptions of the analogous regular shedding and replacement of the lining of the stomach, finding in a number of texts no references to degeneration, but instead a stress on the periodic "renewal" of the stomach lining Concluding that writers can choose to depict what happens to the lining of stomachs and uteruses either negatively as breakdown and decay or positively as continual production and replenishment, Martin suggests an alternative medical description of menstruation: A drop in the formerly high levels of progesterone and estrogen creates the appropriate environment for reducing the excess layers of endometrial tissue Constriction of capillary blood vessels causes a lower level of oxygen and nutrients and paves the way for a vigorous production of menstrual fluids Such a description would far more accurately reflect women's own more positive assessments of the menstrual fluid as the desired product Viewing pregnancy as the sole purpose of female reproductive organs and despising menstruation as a "waste" ignores the reality that most women do not intend to get pregnant most of the time (and so are often joyful when menstruation begins), and conceals "the true unity women have [Menstruation is] the one thing we all share" (p 112) In spite of ambivalence about the "disgusting mess," most interviewees felt that menstruation defines them as women and insisted that they wouldn't want to give it up Teens spoke of the joy of getting their periods so they could be part of the in-group that shared the women's "special secret," of mothers and sisters greeting their first menstruation with "You're a woman now! …

Pregnancy and Venous Thromboembolism: Risk Factors, Trends, Management, and Mortality.

Abstract: Background. Pregnancy is one of the major risk factors for the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Objective. To elucidate the circumstances surrounding pregnancy-induced deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), assess potential factors triggering thrombosis (e.g., thrombophilia, obesity, age, parity, and family history), initial and long-term management, and assess recurrence rate and mortality for VTE in pregnant Saudi women. Methods. A retrospective chart review of 180 patients with objectively confirmed VTE (DVT, PE, or both) that occurred during pregnancy, or the postpartum period was conducted. All patients who experienced episodes of objectively confirmed VTE were included. Results. Overall, 180 patients were included. Further, 60% ( ) and 40% ( ) of the VTE cases occurred during the postpartum and antenatal periods, respectively. Cesarean section was the most prevalent risk factor among study participants ( (47.8%)), followed by obesity ( (40.6%)). The most common clinical presentations were lower leg pain (57.2%) and lower limb swelling (54.4%). VTE recurrences were observed in approximately 11% of the participants, and maternal mortality occurred in 2 (1.1%) cases. Conclusion. Pregnancy was the most common provoking factor for VTE in our study. Pregnant women should undergo formal, written assessments of risk factors for VTE at the first visit and delivery. Larger studies with a randomized design, and control groups are required to confirm the current findings.

Causal explanations of miscarriage amongst Qataris

Abstract: Despite its commonality, there is a paucity of literature on miscarriage in non-Western societies. In particular, there is little understanding of how people ascribe cause to miscarriage. This research sought to gain an in-depth understanding of notions of miscarriage causality and risk amongst Qataris. The study adopted an exploratory descriptive qualitative approach and collected data during 18 months of ethnographic research in Qatar, including semi-structured interviews. The sample includes 60 primary participants (20 pregnant women and 40 women who had recently miscarried), and 55 secondary participants including family members, health care providers, religious scholars and traditional healers. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Primary participants were interviewed in Arabic. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed and translated into English. Data was analysed using an inductive thematic approach, which involved identification and application of multiple codes to different text segments. Data were encoded manually and examined for recurrences across the data set. Similar quotations were grouped into subcategories and further categorized into main themes. A number of key themes emerged, revealing Qatari women attributed miscarriages to a number of factors including: supernatural forces, such as God’s will and evil eye; lifestyle, such as physical activities and consuming particular substances; medical conditions, such as diabetes; and emotional state, such as stress, and emotional upset. Resting, avoiding stress and upset, maintaining healthy diet, and spiritual healing (ruqyah) are seen as a means to avoid miscarriage. Practices and beliefs around miscarriage are embedded in social, cultural, religious and medical frameworks. Understanding the socio-cultural context and understandings of explanatory theories can enhance health care providers’ understandings, resulting in improved communication and care.

The experience of adult Omani women living with asthma : an exploratory study

Abstract: ____________________________________________________________ 12 Declaration __________________________________________________________ 13 Copyright Statement ___________________________________________________ 13 Dedication ___________________________________________________________ 14 Acknowledgements ____________________________________________________ 14 The Author __________________________________________________________ 15 List of Abbreviations __________________________________________________ 17 Thesis Structure ______________________________________________________ 18 CHAPTER ONE: STUDY BACKGROUND ______________________________ 20 Introduction ____________________________________________________ 20 1.1 Chronic illness __________________________________________________ 20 1.2 Transition of the global burden of chronic conditions ____________________ 20 1.3 Prevalence of chronic illness _______________________________________ 21 1.4 Meaning of chronic illness _________________________________________ 22 1.5 Experience of chronic illness _______________________________________ 23 1.6 1.6.1 Theories about health behaviours and the Health Belief Model _________ 24 1.6.2 Self-efficacy _________________________________________________ 25 1.6.3 Self-Regulation Model _________________________________________ 26 1.6.4 Illness trajectory ______________________________________________ 28 1.6.5 Biographical disruption ________________________________________ 30 1.6.6 Uncertainty __________________________________________________ 31 1.6.7 Stigma _____________________________________________________ 32 Asthma: a worldwide problem ______________________________________ 34 1.7 1.7.1 Burden of asthma _____________________________________________ 35 1.7.2 Development of asthma management _____________________________ 36 Asthma within the research context __________________________________ 38 1.8 Women’s health _________________________________________________ 39 1.9 3 1.9.1 Women’s experience of chronic disease ___________________________ 40 Description of the study context: the Sultanate of Oman _________________ 41 1.10 1.10.1 Geographic description ________________________________________ 41 1.10.2 Omani population and demographic transition _____________________ 43 1.10.3 Healthcare services in Oman ___________________________________ 46 1.10.4 Oman: the health transition towards chronic illness __________________ 47 1.10.5 Prevalence of adult asthma in Oman _____________________________ 48 1.10.6 Asthma research in Oman______________________________________ 49 1.10.7 Women in Oman _____________________________________________ 49 Summary _____________________________________________________ 51 1.11 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW _____________________________ 54 Introduction ____________________________________________________ 54 2.1 Literature review as part of grounded theory research ____________________ 54 2.2 Narrative review _________________________________________________ 55 2.3 Aim of the literature review ________________________________________ 57 2.4 Review questions ________________________________________________ 57 2.5 Search strategy __________________________________________________ 57 2.6 Assessment of the quality of the selected studies ________________________ 59 2.7 Findings of the search _____________________________________________ 60 2.8 Description of the synthesised studies ________________________________ 63 2.9 Synthesis of the review findings ___________________________________ 63 2.10 2.10.1 Effect of asthma on people’s lives _______________________________ 63 2.10.2 Living with asthma day to day __________________________________ 68 2.10.3 Experience of patients with asthma, medical treatment and factors influencing their practice ______________________________________ 70 2.10.4 Experience of asthma services __________________________________ 75 2.10.5 Attitude towards self-management _______________________________ 80 Quality of the studies included _____________________________________ 83 2.11 2.11.1 Qualitative studies ___________________________________________ 84 2.11.2 Mixed methods ______________________________________________ 87 Overall weight of evidence ________________________________________ 89 2.12 Research gap identified __________________________________________ 90 2.13 2.14 Summary _____________________________________________________ 90 CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND METHODS _____________________________________________________ 95 4 Introduction ____________________________________________________ 95 3.1 Research aim ___________________________________________________ 95 3.2 Research questions _______________________________________________ 95 3.3 Qualitative approach _____________________________________________ 95 3.4 Underpinning assumptions _________________________________________ 96 3.5 Theoretical perspective: symbolic interactionism _______________________ 97 3.6 Social constructionism ____________________________________________ 99 3.7 Methodology of grounded theory __________________________________ 100 3.8 3.8.1 Three versions of grounded theory ______________________________ 101 Selecting constructivist grounded theory _____________________________ 103 3.9 Gaining access to the research settings and recruitment ________________ 104 3.10 Sampling ____________________________________________________ 105 3.11 3.11.1 Purposive sampling _________________________________________ 107 3.11.2 Theoretical sampling ________________________________________ 108 Data generation _______________________________________________ 110 3.12 3.12.1 Intensive interviews _________________________________________ 110 3.12.2 Interview topic guide ________________________________________ 111 3.12.3 Collecting data _____________________________________________ 112 Transcribing __________________________________________________ 114 3.13 Translating ___________________________________________________ 115 3.14 3.15 Data management ______________________________________________ 117 Data analysis _________________________________________________ 118 3.16 3.16.1 Coding ___________________________________________________ 118 3.16.2 Constant comparative method _________________________________ 120 3.16.3 Memo writing ______________________________________________ 121 Theoretical saturation ___________________________________________ 122 3.17 Theoretical sensitivity __________________________________________ 122 3.18 Ethical considerations and research governance ______________________ 124 3.19 3.19.1 Informed consent ___________________________________________ 124 3.19.2 Confidentiality and anonymity _________________________________ 125 3.19.3 Autonomy _________________________________________________ 126 3.19.4 Maintaining the dignity of and respect for the participants ___________ 127 Rigour of the research __________________________________________ 128 3.20 3.20.1 Credibility ________________________________________________ 128