Trans-cultural Nursing Theory
Trans-cultural Nursing Theory 
Assignment 2: Nursing Theory Analysis Paper
Overview/Description:
The purpose of this assignment is to describe, evaluate and discuss the application of a nursing mid-range theory (CHOOSE MADELINE LEININGER’S TRANSCULTURAL THEORY). This assignment also provides the learner an opportunity to connect theory and research to nursing phenomena. Learners will develop an 8-10 page paper (excluding the title page and references) using APA style to address the elements listed below.
Theory/Author Name and Background
1. Select a Mid-Range Theory that is appropriate to your practice setting. (HOSPICE NURSING)
2. Describe the theorist\’s background in detail and discuss how their experiences have impacted the theory development.
3. Examine crucial references for the original and/or current work of the theorist and other authors writing about the selected theory.
4. Identify the phenomenon of concern or problems addressed by the theory.
Theory Description
1. Explain whether the theory uses deductive, inductive, or reproductive reasoning. Provide evidence to support your conclusion.
2. Describe the major concepts of the theory. How are they defined? (theoretically and/or operationally) Is the author consistent in the use of the concepts and other terms in the theory?
3. Interpret how the concepts are defined. Implicitly or explicitly?
4. Examine the relationships (propositions) among the major concepts.
Evaluation
1. Identify explicit and implicit assumptions (values/beliefs) underlying the theory. On what assumptions does the theory build?
2. Examine if the theory has a description of the four concepts of the nursing metaparadigm. If so, how are they explained in the theory? If the metapardigm is not explained, what elements do you see as relevant to the theory and why?
3. Discuss the clarity of the theory. Did it have lucidness and consistency?
Application
1. Examine how the theory would guide nursing actions.
2. Describe specifically how you can use this theory in your area of nursing (Practice, Education, Informatics or Administration).
3.APA Style/Format
CRITERIA WEIGHT
Theory/Author Name and Background:
1. Select Mid-Range Theory that is appropriate to your practice setting.
2. Describe the theorist\’s background in detail and discuss how their experiences have impacted the theory development.
3. Examine crucial references for the original and/or current work of the theorist and other authors writing about the selected theory.
4. Identify the phenomenon of concern or problems addressed by the theory.
Theory Description:
1. Explain whether the theory uses deductive, inductive or retroductive reasoning. Provide evidence to support your conclusion.
2. Describe the major concepts of the theory. How are they defined? (theoretically and/or operationally) Is the author consistent in the use of the concepts and other terms in the theory?
3. Interpret how the concepts are defined. Implicitly or explicitly?
4. Examine the relationships (propositions) among the major concepts.
Evaluation:
1. Identify explicit and implicit assumptions (values/beliefs) underlying the theory. On what assumptions does the theory build?
2. Examine if the theory has a description of the four concepts of the nursing metaparadigm. If so, how are they explained in the theory? If the metapardigm is not explained, what elements do you see as relevant to the theory and why?
3. Discuss the clarity of the theory. Did it have lucidness and consistency? 20
Application:
1. Examine how the theory would guide nursing actions.
2. Describe specifically how you can use this theory in your area of nursing (Practice, Education, Informatics or Administration).
APA Style/Format:
Free of grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors. Citations and references are written in correct APA Style. 20
Total: 200
SOLUTION
Trans-cultural Nursing Theory
Background
The theory chosen for evaluation and application in hospice care is trans-cultural theory and it was developed by one Madeleine Leininger. This theorist is a learned person who has a diploma in nursing, masters in mental health and psychiatric nursing, doctor of philosophy in social and cultural anthropology. During her professional life, she worked as a professor in transcultural nursing course, which was a new faculty that had been launched in 1974 at University of Colorado.
She was known for inventing and advocating for this course in aforementioned university. Trans-cultural nursing was a course she lived to support throughout her career life and this is why she founded a journal on the same. The life dedication and commitment to promoting trans-cultural nursing made her to be recognized as the “Margaret Mead of nursing.” The meaning here is that she was a global founder of this particular nursing practice.
This theory emphasized more on ‘care’ as the central focus point in nursing. The care which has been focused here in this study is hospice care and this entails the provision of end-of-life care (Marrelli & Williams, 2005). This type of care involves giving care to dying people so that they have comfort, peace and dignity on their final lap in life.
The care givers are determined to control any emergent symptom and pain so that a dying client may remain as comfortable and alert as possible (Pattinson, 2011). Integrating transcultural theory to this type of care, the link or relation between them would be that health professionals are supposed to ensure that clients get the best care while on their journey to death and the care should be reflective of the cultural beliefs, norms and traditions.
Based on the experience of Madeleine, one can note that she served as a lecturer on this new course, transcultural nursing and this means that this individual had prior knowledge on the course content. Also, her educational profile reveals that she was a learned person who had a number of certificates in different courses that were relevant and related to nursing practice.
Therefore, the author’s background can be said to have built a strong foundation for her to research and contribute to the transcultural nursing theory. The Ph.D. she was awarded in 1966 on social and cultural anthropology can be described as a prerequisite to the development of the transcultural theory. The doctorate in cultural philosophy helped Leininger to gain insightful information about the cultural congruent care.
Through her journal she was able to dig deep into the different aspects of culture as well as establish the link they have with hospice care. As the theory suggests, care has been considered the central focus in nursing, and hospice care should adopt such emphasis. The fact that the population being cared for is composed of dying people, this indicates that no matter what one wishes to do would, this would note matter.
Therefore, it is recommended that the employ the culture-centered holistic care in order to comfort these clients who are soon departing from the world. Thus, the educational experienced she gained helped her acquired the necessary information and propelled her desire to develop transcultural nursing theory.
Another instance that can be said to have facilitated Leininger’s development of the transcultural theory was the experience she had while serving as a counselor in one child guidance home. She had come to realize that the recurrent behavioral patterns portrayed by children were linked and founded in culture and traditions.
It is from this instance that this theorist came to know that care and culture were intertwined and related since whatever beliefs a client hold concerning health care would definitely influence their treatment, healing and recovery processes. Thus, this experience provoked Madeleine to build this new transcultural nursing practice and it is even operational up to date (Ray, 2016).
Literature Review
As Sagar (2012) argues, transcultural nursing has helped nursing professionals to develop new set of skills and knowledge while interacting with the patient populations with varying cultures and traditions. The setting within which the above type of nursing practice is exercised allows practitioners to collaborate with patients in the care administering processes so that they might come to an understanding which comforts both cultural and hospital-based care provisions.
In support of the above argument, Leininger and McFarland (2002) denote that transcultural nursing has transformed nursing practices such that medical experts have learned to integrate the cultural beliefs and traditions presented by patients so that they may provide a holistic care.
The application of this theory in various nursing specialties has helped in imposing transitional practices in care provision since the practitioners are focused at giving that care which suits the preferences of the clients.
Problem addressed by the Theory
An analysis of the theory presented by Madeleine shows that the theorist was trying to address the exclusion of culture and traditions held by patients while administering care. The author of this theory transcultural nursing theory, she has used the journal she published on this same topic to persuade and convince masses about the influence culture presents on hospice care.
The theory has described culture as a factor that has provisions and preferences of care that might make a dying patient attain peace, pain-free last moments, and comfort during the last periods of their lives. Therefore, the theory can be said to have addressed the issue of reduced ‘care’ and negligence of culture inclusion while providing hospice care.
Description of Theory
On evaluation of the theory presented by Leininger on transcultural nursing, one would depict that the reasoning used is inductive. The first argument she presents in the theory is focused on ‘care’ being the central focus of nursing, especially to those dying clients. However, as the theory develops to be broader, it focuses on the different cultural beliefs and traditions presented by all walks of patients in hospice care setting (Herren, Rüesch & Sibille, 2012).
The author has moved from specific factors, care, to a more complex and multidimensional theory tenets. Therefore, one would say the theory presents inductive reasoning which focuses on use of main idea to form generalizations about the topic. The inclusion of all types of cultural beliefs and traditions presented by patients while providing hospice care would make the reasoning of this theory to assume inductive form since the solution proposed to solve the problem at hand is a general one.
Major Concepts of Theory
The main pillars on which the transcultural nursing theory has been founded are nurse-client cooperation, making ‘care’ the central focal point in nursing practices, and provision of culturally congruent holistic care. The first concept can be defined as the collaborative working relationship that nursing and patients presenting in a care administering process.
It involves nurses working hand-in-hand with patients in order to understand their preferences and cultural beliefs, and in turn providing holistic cultural congruent care. The other aspect is on care being the core activity in nursing and this is defined as the routine exercise of ensuring that patients are well-taken care of within a hospice care setting.
Finally, the aspect on holistic and culturally congruent care can be defined as that care that incorporates all beliefs and traditions a patient presents in health care preferences.
Interpretation of the Concepts
The concept on making care the core activity in nursing can be reflected or implemented by health professionals who participate in hospice care through the regular practices of taking care of the dying patients well. Making this patient population comfortable, stain at peace and live a pain-free life would be said to portray traces of care being the main focal point.
The nurse-patient cooperation concept has been portrayed in hospice care through medical experts collaborating with clients to develop newer treatment procedures that make both the patient and the practitioners comfortable (Leininger & McFarland, 2006). However, in most cases the practitioners are the ones who need clients to cooperate so that they might learn on the cultural beliefs and traditions that might hinder the administering of the care.
The culturally congruent care has been presented through provision of holistic care which is compliant with the patients’ health care preferences and choices in relation to their culture and tradition. The three concepts related to each in that with cooperation between nurses and clients, the care provided will be good and reflective of the cultural factors and preferences held by patients. .
Thus, one would say that the concepts have been defined explicitly since they directly presented their relation to hospice care and transcultural nursing theory.
Evaluation
The theory has been founded on several assumptions that either explicit or implicit. For implicit side assumptions, the theory has been founded on two assumptions namely; no cure can occur without willingness to receive and give, and culture care is wholistic perspective that guides nursing care practices.
On the other hand, explicit assumptions, they include; care being an essence as well as central focus of nursing, culture care beliefs, values, and practices are affected by language and worldview, all culture care concepts present similar and different aspects among world cultures, and that care is essential for well-being, healing, survival, growth, and for facing death or illness (Andrews & Boyle, 2008).
The theory has clearly illustrated the four nursing metaparadigms. For example, it has explained the client targeted in this theory and these are the dying people and nursing professionals for they are the people who can apply this theory to their benefit. The environment has been well explained and it has termed as that surrounding experienced in hospice care setting.
The health has also been explained well through the argument that dying people health is of importance and they need to be taken care of until the last moment. Nursing has been explained too and the theory suggests that health professionals can utilize the culturally-founded knowledge to sharpen their skills and foster advancement in nursing practice. The theory is very lucid and consistent in its flow of ideas and arguments.
Application
In applying the above discussed theory in nursing practice, one would say that nurses can rely on it to make health care decisions when dealing with clients who are dying. The knowledge provided in this theory presents the nurses with vital knowledge on how to provide end-of-life care and thus they can make sound care decisions to provide culture congruent holistic care.
The theory can be used in the current area of practice, administration, to ensure that the supervisors in nursing departments are able to streamline the care provision in hospice care. As an administrator, one can ensure that junior nurses are able to follow up the set rules on providing good and quality care to dying patients.
Transcultural theory can be applied through using the evidence presented by the various researches performed in cultural and traditional beliefs to build on culturally congruent holistic care to dying patients. There is a connection presented by this theory that can lead nurses towards providing evidence-based health care. The integration of the research findings into nursing practice would help the nurses to ensure that evidence-based nursing practice prevails in hospice care.
References
Andrews, M. & Boyle, J. (2008). Transcultural concepts in nursing care. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Herren, M., Rüesch, M. & Sibille, C. (2012). Transcultural history : theories, methods, sources. Berlin New York: Springer.
Leininger, M. & McFarland, M. (2002). Transcultural nursing : concepts, theories, research and practice. New York: McGraw-Hill, Medical Pub. Division.
Leininger, M. & McFarland, M. (2006). Culture care diversity and universality : a worldwide nursing theory. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett.
Marrelli, T. & Williams, M. (2005). Hospice and palliative care handbook : quality, compliance, and reimbursement. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier/Mosby.
Pattinson, S. (2011). The final journey : complete hospice care for the departing Vaishnavas. Badger, Calif: Torchlight Pub.
Ray, M. (2016). Transcultural caring dynamics in nursing and health care. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.
Sagar, P. (2012). Transcultural nursing theory and models : application in nursing education, practice, and administration. New York: Springer Pub. Co.
Also check: Human Resources: Health Care Personnel and the Changing Practice of Medicine
