Transcultural Nursing Paper

Transcultural nursing has been incorporated into nursing education and practice due to the increase diversification of patient populations utilizing healthcare facilities. Nurses need to be cognizant of the differences and levels of tolerance and provide care accordingly. Knowing the patient’s cultural beliefs and preferences plays an important role in understanding the patient’s view or how he/she will respond to treatment. If the patient’s plan of care and treatment options are not within the parameters of his or her cultural beliefs, healing, and progression may delay, or condition may worsen. Leininger’s theory explains and predicts the correlation between a nurse’s ability to under his or her own cultural beliefs aside from the patient

233). Other concepts are health and illness are perceived differently by all based on individual perceptions, social class, and coping mechanisms; different approaches to diagnosis, healing, and care, including folk, and western medical interventions may be required for treatment of illness; and for a nurse to effectively deliver care for a patient of a different background other than their own, effective intercultural communication must take place (Transcultural Nursing, n.d.). In order for a nurse to provide sensitive culture care he/she must understand the meanings of these concepts. Cultural competence is defined as a combination of practice viewpoints, congruent behaviors, and guidelines that allows nurses to provide great care in cross cultural situations (Leininger & McFarland, 2002, p.78). Not only do nurses need to be aware of his/her own beliefs but be willing to learn and value someone else’s belief. These concepts are strengths of this theory because not being aware of cultural health differences can be a major block to helping a patient. With education and trying to find a medium may be the perfect fit for delivering the best