Leininger's Culture Care Theory

As a nurse working in a inner city hemodialysis clinic with a diverse patient population, it is necessary to be culturally competent. For the purpose of developing cultural competence and being able to apply it in a clinical setting, Leininger’s Culture Care theory was chosen. Additionally, with a growing multicultural population in health care, it is inevitable to not care for someone from a different culture at one point or another in the nursing practice. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2012) reported that in 2010, roughly 41% of the U.S. population identified themselves as a member of an ethnic minority group. With that said, it is crucial to adopt Leininger’s Theory and incorporate it into practice. By integrating the theory

For one, being culturally competent allows us to understand and appreciate the diversity that surrounds us. According to the National Center for Cultural Competence (n.d) the definition of cultural competence has been modified and adapted many times in the last 15 years. However, the core of the definition remains the same and is applicable to multiple systems. The generic definition of cultural competence is: “a set of congruent behaviors, attitudes, and policies that come together in a system, agency, or among professionals and enable that system, agency or those professions to work effectively in cross-cultural situations” (NCCC, n.d).

Concept Analysis Culture care as defined by Leininger are behaviors, values, and beliefs that were learned or transmitted from generation to generation enabling an individual or group to maintain their health, improve their well-being, and/or face illness or death (Alligood, 2015; Sitzman & Eichelberger, 2015). With a growing patient population in this day and age, there are multiple cultures to consider when providing patient care. It is now imperative that all nurses become culturally competent in order to adequately provide care for the multicultural patient population.

Defining

With that said, the cultural environment in which one live is what shape every individual uniquely (Rew, 2014). Components of the cultural environment that impact our views and behaviors are: ideas, beliefs, values, religious costumes, and traditions. Ultimately, culturally congruent care is only possible when patient care successfully incorporate cultural values, expressions, and patterns that benefit patient needs (Alligood, 2014; Sitzman & Eichelberger, 2015). Since nurses are patient advocates, it is essential that they develop awareness and are able to recognize unique needs that are specific to individual patients (Rew, 2015). Nonetheless, nurses need to understand that there are differences and similarities between cultures that are often not obvious to outsiders. In light of this, nurses must be willing to compromise to meet patient needs in a nonjudgmental