Madeleine Leininger appreciated the importance of cultural caring in the nursing profession. During her initial stages as a nurse, she identified a lack of cultural care as a missing component to understanding patients’ conditions. She recognized that patients’ healing and wellness depend on their cultural care. Leininger’s Culture Care Theory argues on the benefits of nurses providing culturally consistent nursing care to patients (Del Grosso, 2019). This care can be in the form of support, facilitation, and helping them in making decisions. The theory assumes that patients who receive care according to their culture and beliefs respond positively to treatments.
There is a wide range of beliefs and practices within every cultural group; therefore, it is essential to bridge culture and nursing care to provide cultural care to patients. This theory is necessary as it stresses the importance of nursing in delivering cultural values, beliefs, and practices. These cultural practices play a vital role in managing and dealing with patients. Nurses must understand that their patients have diverse opinions and cultural traditions, not the same as theirs. The theory defines nursing as a profession meant to integrate science and culture that focuses on human care and taking chances with all activities to help support and facilitate patients’ good health (Wehbe-Alamah, 2018). Therefore, handling patients according to their beliefs and cultural values is critical. Due to cultural discrepancies, one faces various barriers daily. Such barriers include; language barriers, behaviors, thoughts, cultural norms and values, Stereotypes, and beliefs.
In today’s healthcare, it is a requirement that nurses take the cultural backgrounds of their patients when creating a nursing plan. Leininger’s Culture Care and Universality Theory guide nursing practices (Del Grosso, 2019). Nurses can take a holistic approach when dealing with patients and not just focus on the reported injuries. Some patients’ illness and healing processes are connected to their beliefs and cultural practices.
References
Del Grosso, A. (2019). Application of Leininger’s Culture Care Theory in Family Medical History.
Wehbe-Alamah, H. B. (2018). Leininger’s Culture Care Diversity and Universality Theory. Annual Review of Nursing Research, Volume 37: Transcultural and Social Research, 1.