Nursing theory and its application in nursing practice - Research Paper Example

Nursing Theory and Its Application in Nursing Practice Leininger’s theory of culture care diversity and universality was developed by a nurse in the 1950’s to explain the relation between cultural care, knowledge and the efficiency of patient care (Jones, Cason, Bond, 2004). The theory holds that the missing link between effective patient care and nursing practice arises from the lack of cultural understanding of a patients needs. The purpose of the theory is to find a positive link between the factors mentioned above, and to find the best way to improve nurses’ understanding of their patients.

The theory is essentially a description of how culture care is an essential part of a nurse’s understanding of patients, and how a myriad of cultural factors can improve the care that a patient receives (Leininger, 1988). The main definitions acquired from the theory are care, cultural practices, wellness, and illness; all the factors that influence the health of an individual. The relationships put forward by Leininger indicate that a nurse’s understanding of the cultural care received by a patient goes a long way in determining the rate at which a patient acquires wellness from illness.

An appraisal of the theory indicates that it is simple enough to understand, since the factors presented in the theory are interrelated and linked. The arguments presented in the theory are clear for nurses and what they need to do to improve the health of their patients. The theory can be generalized to include all classes of patients, including all illnesses, since the cultural practices applied are universal. This theory can be considered contagious for many classes of students, researchers, administrators and all the players in the health industry.

The above assumption lies in the fact that the theory is generally applicable in most fields of health care, and can be used interchangeably with other nursing theories to find the best solution for illnesses. The administrators in the nursing field, especially administrative nurses, can use the points mentioned in the theory to improve both in-patient and outpatient care, since the cultural care practices mentioned in the theory are universal. The usefulness of the theory is found in the applicability to different nursing models, since it presents a rational outlook for both practice and research.

This assumption is arrived at after considering the importance of a deeper understanding of patients’ needs and backgrounds, which indicate the importance of extra care. For a patient’s illness to be cured, a nurse has to apply the theory presented by Leininger, and its application requires a compete understanding of the theory. The application of Leininger’s theory is mainly focused on finding a suitable environment for the theory to work, meaning that a nurse has to develop ethical behavior, understand the patient, and strive to provide the best cultural care available (Wittig, 2004).

Caring is identified as an important part of nursing theory; therefore, the development t of a nursing plan should include the theories proposed by Leininger. However, the main barrier to achieving the mentioned plan is a lack of cultural diversity in the nursing field (Wittig, 2004). This means that a nurse and a patient might have completely different cultural backgrounds; therefore, the development of Leininger’s theory is hard to accomplish. ReferencesJones, M., and Cason, C., and Bond, M. (2004). Cultural Attitudes, Knowledge, and Skills of a Health Workforce.

J Transcult Nurse, Vol. 15(4). Pp. 283-290. Leininger, M. (1988). Leiningers Theory of Nursing: Cultural Care Diversity and Universality. Nursing Science Q, Vol. 1(4). Pp. 152-160. Wittig, D. (2004). Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes of Nursing Students Regarding Culturally Congruent Care of Native Americans. J Transcult Nurse, Vol. 15(1). Pp. 54-61.