Notably, Dr. Leininger’s discovery of her culture care diversity and universality theory, often known as the culture care theory (CCT), was one of her most fundamental and distinctive achievements. She was confident that cross-cultural nursing care might result in significant, therapeutic health and healing results (Smith, 2015). As she established the theory, Dr. Leininger selected transcultural nursing ideas, philosophies, hypotheses, and research-based expertise to direct, question, and clarify nursing practices. Smith (2015) argues that she contended that people, whether sick or healthy, require human care to live from infancy through old age. Nonetheless, treatment has to be culturally distinct and suitable (McFarland & Wehbe-Alamah, 2019). Dr. Leininger’s strategy in developing the theory was to construct chosen anthropological, cultural viewpoints and transcultural nursing notions (Smith, 2015). The theory’s conclusions might incorporate information needed to care for persons from other cultures. Care knowledge has to be obtained via cultural exploration. It is critical to transform nurses’ thoughts and attitudes away from clinical conditions, illnesses, and therapies and toward understanding cultures and caring ideals and routines.
Essentially, I am interested in Ethiopian immigrants as a cultural group. Chiatti (2018) emphasizes that Ethiopians are the second-largest African immigrant group in the United States after Somalis. Immigrants in the United States face health inequities due to linguistic variances, cultural interests, and customs (Chiatti, 2018). Thus, I aim to study the group’s cultural values, beliefs, and religious factors to conduct a cultural assessment and ensure the appropriate care plan. Chiatti (2018) states that the official language is Amharic, but over eighty languages and dialects are spoken. Orthodox Christian, Muslim, Protestant, and Catholic are the major religions. Moreover, in Ethiopian perceptions of care and well-being maintenance, the interaction between mind, body, and spirit involves the significance of prayer and faith healing.
I will incorporate Leininger’s cultural care modes in the care plan in the following ways. For instance, Ethiopians may employ culturally based treatments to preserve health or treat illnesses at first. Still, they quickly seek professional health care when necessary and expect medical testing, procedures, and medications (Chiatti, 2018). Ethiopians prefer nurses to ask about their culture, language, cuisine, dietary patterns, family situation, and what they thought was crucial to retain their cultural customs (Chiatti, 2018). Thus, it is vital to demonstrate an interest in the patient’s traditions and customs when offering nursing care. Ethiopians never consume pork or anything derived from pork; some foods, such as gelatin, or pharmaceuticals, such as certain “anticoagulants, digestive supplements, or vaccines,” may include pork and, thus, would be forbidden (Chiatti, 2018, p. 346). Diet is especially crucial since Ethiopians prefer traditional Ethiopian meals and fast on numerous days during the year.
Furthermore, Ethiopians believe that offering them the option of whether to take a prescription demonstrates the nurse’s lack of concern. The shortage of translators in healthcare settings posed an obstacle to care for immigrants whose first language is not English (Chiatti, 2018). The Ethiopian culture’s traditional practice of women supporting women remains in the United States, even while a patient is in the hospital, and hence the patient may have many guests (Chiatti, 2018). Implications for treatment included nurses thoroughly explaining processes, methods, and expectations, being responsive to their needs, and being engaged in their culture. Chiatti (2018) acknowledges that nurses should appreciate the importance of culture in fulfilling the healthcare requirements of varied patient populations to deliver culturally appropriate and meaningful treatment. This information leads to understanding the group’s health care, beliefs, needs, and practices and personalizing that care in the most useful, knowledgeable, comfortable, and trustworthy manner by health care professionals in all practice contexts.
References
Chiatti, B. D. (2018). Cultural care beliefs and practices of Ethiopian immigrants.Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 30(4), 340–349.
McFarland, M. R., & Wehbe-Alamah, H. B. (2019). Leininger’s theory of culture care diversity and universality: An overview with a historical retrospective and a view toward the future.Journal of Transcultural Nursing, 30(6), 540–557.
Smith, M. C. (2015). Nursing theories and nursing practice. F. A. Davis Company.