Madeleine Leiningers

Culture Care Theory

Madeliene Leininger- Culture
Care Diversity & Universality
Dr. Leininger is the founder of transcultural
nursing.
Initiated this field of nursing in the mid-1950s.
Born in Sutton, Nebraska, lived on a farm with
two brothers and sisters.
Attended Sutton High School, Scholastica
College, the Catholic University of America in
DC, and the University of Washington, Seattle
Madeleine Leininger, PhD, LHD,
DS, CTN, RN, FAAN, FRCNA
Dr. Leininger was the first professional nurse
with a graduate preparation to complete a PhD
in anthropology.
She brought nursing and anthropology together
and coined the term transcultural nursing as an
essential formal area of study and practice.
Her Culture Care Diversity & Universality theory
was one of the earliest nursing theories and it
remains the only theory focused specifically on
transcultural nursing with a culture care focus.
Her theory is used worldwide.
Culture Care Diversity &
Universality
Dr. Leininger established the first Caring
Research Conference in 1978. She developed
the theory of Culture Care with the
ethnonursing method.
The ethnonursing method was the first
nursing research method and has been used for
decades.
She conducted the first transcultural nursing
field study in early 1960s as she lived alone with
the Gadsup of Eastern Highlands of New Guinea.
Accomplishments of Dr. Leininger
Dr. Leininger wrote the first books on transcultural
nursing.
She developed and launched the first undergraduate and
graduate courses and programs in transcultural nursing
beginning in the 1970s.
Introduced the idea of studying emic generic (folk) and
etic professional care differences and similarities to
reduce the care gaps and conflict areas that can be non
therapeutic to clients.
Conceived and saw the need to establish the
Transcultural Nursing Society as the official organization
of the new discipline in 1974.
Accomplishments (contd)
Conceived and saw the need to establish the
Transcultural Nursing Society as the official organization
of the new discipline in 1974.
The TCN society today is the major organization in this
discipline with theory and research to advance
transcultural nursing science.
Dr. Leininger established and was the first editor of the
Journal of Transcultural Nursing.
Dr. Madeleine Leininger has received many outstanding
awards and honors and has been nominated for the
Nobel Prize for her significant and worldwide
breakthrough encouraging health disciplines to study
and practice transcultural health care.
 The Theory
The Culture Care Diversity and Universality theory,
according to Dr. Leininger, focuses on describing,
explaining and predicting nursing similarities and
differences focused primarily on human care and caring
in human cultures.
The Culture Care Diversity & Universality theory does not
focus on medical symptoms, disease entities or
treatments.
It is instead focused on those methods of approach to
care that means something to the people to whom the
care is given.
Development of the theory
Developed in the mid-1950s and early 1960s.
Developed particularly to discover the meanings and
ways to give care to people who have different values
and lifeways.
Designed to guide nurses to provide nursing care that
fits with those that are being cared for.
Culture Care theory not only focuses on nurse-client
interaction but the focus also includes care for families,
groups, communities, cultures and institutions.
The Sunrise Enabler
The theory includes an enabler ( Dr.Leininger prefers it
not be called a model), serves as a conceptual guide
or cognitive map to guide nurses in the systematic
study of all dimensions of the theory.

This map or guide is called the Sunrise Enabler.

Application of the theory
Key elements of a method of application in Practice
Methodology have been identified by Dr. Leininger and
they are (1) goals of nursing which address
practices,clients (2) cultural assessment ( using the
Sunrise Enabler) and (3) nursing judgments, decisions
and actions.
Research findings are used to develop protocols for
cultural-congruent care that blends with the particular
cultural values, beliefs and lifeways of the client.
Four metaparadigm concepts

Leininger criticizes the four nursing

metaparadigm concepts of person,
environment, health, and nursing.

Furthermore, she defines these concepts

in her theory
Metaparadigm concepts defined
Nursing: care has the greatest meaning which
explains nursing
Person: should refer to families, groups, and
communities
Health: not distinct to nursing as many
disciplines use this term
Environment: included events with meanings
and interpretations given to them in particular
physical, ecological, sociopolitical or cultural
setting.
Application of Theory

Care always occurs in a cultural context

Culture is viewed as framework people use
to solve human problems
Culture is the lifeways of an individual or
a group with reference to values, beliefs,
norms, patterns, and practices (Leininger,
1997, p. 38)
Assessment of Client
Information on culture is essential for
holistic assessment of an individual,
family, or community
The assessment process must be
comprehensive, accurate, and systemic
Individuals, familys, or communitys
perspective of their culture is needed for
an accurate assessment.
Leiningers Assessment Process

Nurse approaches an individual, family, or

community with the intent to gain
understanding of the expressions, patterns
of health, and care
Nurse obtains knowledge about the
dynamic cultural and social structural
dimensions influencing health.
Leiningers Assessment Process

Nurse invites an individual, family, or

community to describe their own
experience about health and caring
Nurse documents the description of an
individuals, familys, or communitys
cultural and social structure that influence
health patterns and concern
Conclusion
We live in a city that is rich in diversity.
How, then, should we treat one another?
We should value diversity. We have the
capacity to perform a cultural self-
assessment. We should be conscious of
the dynamics inherent when cultures
interact and we should exercise cultural
awareness. Being culturally competent is
essential to being an efficient nurse.