Nursing is a vocation that requires one to engage closely with patients, their relatives, and the community. This is due to the fact that nursing activities are mostly social and require high interpersonal communication. Therefore, nurses should find a way to effectively interact and communicate with patients. Nurses also work in multicultural setups, thus, this necessitates them to come up with ways in which they can interact with patients, their families and the community they work in while being sensitive to the cultural background of whom they come into contact with (Essays UK, 2018). The need for cultural diversity in the nursing profession was informed by Leininger’s theory of cultural diversity together with Jean Watson’s theory. Hence, this paper shows how Leininger’s theory of cultural diversity and Jean Watson’s theory of transpersonal caring relationships can be used in caring for patients.
Factors in Mrs. Franklin-Jones’ Story to be considered by Nurse Hernandez when Planning for Her Discharge based on Leininger's Culture Care Model
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Leininger’s culture care model was developed by Leininger who was the first nurse to study the relationship between patients and their cultural backgrounds. Through her findings, Leininger was able to prove that ethnicity and cultural beliefs of a patient had a correlation with their health. The theory outlines that considerations should be made to belief systems of different cultures and ethnic setups to be studied and understood, so that nurses all over the world can predict the health beliefs of patients (Essays UK, 2018).
In the case of Mrs. Franklin-Jones, Nurse Hernandez should endeavor to cultivate an understanding of her cultural beliefs and integrate them with his plans and instructions during her discharge. As it can be derived from the case study, Mrs. Franklin’s beliefs about her health are mostly shaped by the memories of her mother’s death as a result of bad pressure. Therefore, the nurse should be keen to explain to Mrs. Franklin that with good care, she would be able to recover. From the case, it is evident that Mrs. Franklin has been overworking herself as the only breadwinner, thus, she should try to let her husband help her with some of the house chores so that she can get enough rest and avoid stress that yields forgetfulness.
Moreover, the nurse should also come up with an interesting plan to make sure her patient does not forget to take her medication. Nurse Hernandez should also be conversant with Jamaican cooking that her patient is fond of, and find the best way to advise her to eat healthily without giving up on the Jamaican foods. Mrs. Franklin also places great importance to Bush tea that she wishes her sister would bring her from Jamaica. The nurse should, therefore, be able to advise her on the pros and cons of taking bush tea and its effects on her health.
The importance of applying the theory of culture care diversity in the nursing profession cannot be underestimated. The benefit does not only accrue to the patient, but nurses also benefit in many ways by using this approach to treat their patients. By applying the cultural care diversity model when treating patients, nurses have the opportunity of becoming the most culturally sensitive caregivers in the health sector. This also presents the opportunity for patients to receive personalized services, which are in harmony with their beliefs. Subsequently, this leads to high-quality services for patients, which aids their recovery process. This is because most patients emphasize the importance of their health being based on their cultural beliefs. Nurses are, therefore, able to apply specific principles, beliefs and caring patterns leading to improved quality of services to patients (Betancourt & Daniel, 2016).
Plan of Care for Mrs. Franklin-Jones Using Leininger's Theory of Culture Care Diversity and Universality
The plan for care to be given to Mrs. Franklin should take into consideration her cultural beliefs and her experience in life as informed by her conversation with Nurse Hernandez. In caring for Mrs. Franklin, plans should be made to make sure that she gets enough rest and is surrounded by her loved ones including her sister from Jamaica if possible. With her sister, she would be able to receive the best care given that her Jamaican food would be cooked effectively to suit her blood pressure condition. Moreover, her husband and sister should make sure that her drugs are taken on time without fail since she admitted to forgetting to take them. Her food should also be well thought out so as to make sure that she eats healthy. Since her belief that Jamaican bush tea is good for her health, efforts should be made to make sure she gets some.
Strengths and Limits of Leininger’s Theory
The biggest strength of Leininger’s theory provides an opportunity for nurses to learn about their patients by understanding their beliefs and cultures, and, therefore, personalizing their services to conform to their expectations. Subsequently, this aids in the healing process. On the part of the patients, quality and personalized services are obtained by applying this theory. On the other hand, the theory has limitations as many health professionals are unable to apply it due to differences in culture, education, environment as well as experiences. Hence, this limits health professionals to handle patients from other cultural backgrounds due to the lack of a patient’s cultural understanding (Betancourt & Daniel, 2016).
Case Study 2
According to Clark (2015), transpersonal means going beyond the personal realm or surpassing one’s personal state of being. Therefore, nurses and other healthcare professionals affect and are affected by their relationship with patients, their families and the community. Watson regards human beings as worthy, hence, they warrant all the care they can get. According to Watson’s theory, the society is defined in terms of the fact that nurses have always been present in every society, and their caring attitude is passed from one generation to another by the culture of nurses, and their profession as a crucial adaptation of coping with the environment.
Assumptions of the Transpersonal Caring Relationship- The Nurse's Role
There are several assumptions of transpersonal caring relationships. One of the assumptions is that only through interpersonal relationships can care be effectively demonstrated. It is also assumed that patients are accepted as they are or for what they might become (Petiprin, 2016). This is demonstrated in the case of Claude, whereby he is accepted at the health facility even though he cannot speak the language of the nurses. Hence, he is helped to communicate with the nurses by being allowed to invite a relative who would ensure that he is well attended to.
Another assumption is that caring should promote health and individual family growth. In the case of Claude, this is demonstrated by the health facility allowing him to invite family members to be with him in the hospital as well as allowing him to practice his culture and share it with others in the hospital. Another assumption is that caring should lead to the satisfaction of certain human wants and should complement the science of nursing. Another assumption is that a caring environment gives a patient the freedom to choose what is best for them, and also the opportunity to achieve their wellness (Petiprin, 2016). From the case study, it can be seen that Claude is given the opportunity to choose how to practice his culture and invites him to share it with others.
How Love, as Defined by Watson, is Evident in this Caring Moment
According to Watson’s theory, love is a key component in the nursing profession. The theory acknowledges that human beings need to be loved, valued, cared for, respected, nurtured, treated with understanding as well as assisted. The general philosophy of love is well brought out by the case study. Through understanding and respecting Claude’s culture and assistance through language translation, the nursing professionals at the health facility demonstrate a deep understanding of Watson’s theory of transpersonal caring relationships.
How the Nurse Creatively use self to create a Healing Environment
Promotion of a healing environment in important to patient-centered care as it helps in reducing stress and the anxiety associated with health facilities. Nurses being the main caregivers in healthcare facilities should focus on creating a healing environment for patients. They should be able to create an environment that promotes spiritual, mental, emotional and physical wellness. The setting of a patient may either encourage and or discourage their spirit. It is, therefore, paramount that nurses ensure that their patients are as comfortable as possible. This is well illustrated in the case of Claude as the nurse tries his level best to make him feel comfortable in his new setup.
Strengths and Limits of Watson's Theory
Though Watson’s theory has many limitations, its strengths are bare for all to see. The theory’s main strength is its transformative nature, which ensures that caring and nursing are one and the same thing. This theory helps nurses to focus on patients and allows selected technology to be used in patient care. The strength of the theory teaches nurses to care for the needs of patients and create a better healing environment. Therefore, this provides opportunities for patients to express and improve themselves. The theory allows nurses to be flexible in their work as it does not allow them to follow a code of conduct or procedure in caring for their patients. This promotes creativity and allows nurses to be come up with better ways of caring for their patients as need be.
Watson’s theory has its own limitations, which include its lack of relevance to today’s nursing. The ever emerging gap between the number of patients and nurses undermines the vision of the theory and makes it hard to achieve its intents. The theory limits its self by focusing on the spirits of the patients and avoids the physical side of a patient’s wellbeing. The theory proves itself to be impractical due to the nature of the environment where nurses operate and their low numbers compared to the many ailing people in the community.
Conclusion
The healthcare sector is undergoing numerous changes and transformations towards caring for patients and proving quality services. This has caused the roles and responsibility of nurses to change so as to be at par with the ever-changing trends. The nursing theories of Watson and Leininger pinpoint the act of caring on the part of nurses and other caregivers as the key to proving quality care for patients as well as defining the role of nurses all over the world. Nurses should continue to offer quality, personalized, and holistic care to patients to create better healing environments.
References
Busher, B., & Daniel, A., (2016). Madeleine Leininger and the Transcultural: Theory of Nursing. Retrieved from https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/tdr/vol2/iss1/1
Clark. C., (2016). Watson’s Human Caring Theory: Pertinent Transpersonal and Humanities Concepts for Educators. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301509570_Watson's_Human_Caring_Theory_Pertinent_Transpersonal_and_Humani
Essays UK. (November 2018). Critique of Madeleine Leininger’s Culture Care Theory. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/nursing/critique-of-madeleine-leiningers-culture-care-theory-nursing-essay.php?vref=1
Peptiprin. A., (2016) . Jean Watson Nursing Theory. Retrieved from http://www.nursing-theory.org/theories-and-models/watson-philosophy-and-science-of-caring.php
