Title: Leiningers Theory of Culture Care Diversity
 1Leiningers Theory of Culture Care Diversity  
UniversalityVs Levines Conservation Model 
- Leanne McFarland, Lara Kim,  Astrid Anderson
 
  2Madeleine Leininger
- Theory of Culture Care Diversity  Universality
 
  3Leiningers Theory
- Caring is the essence of nursing and is unique to 
nursing  - Does not rely upon the four nursing paradigms of 
person, environment, health, and nursing  - Too restrictive for open discovery about culture 
and care  
  4Leiningers Theory
- Care  culture are inextricably linked 
 - Leininger recognized the importance of an 
understanding of culture - both the nurses and 
the clients - to effective nursing practice.  - All cultures have practices related to caring. 
 - Practices common across cultures are culture care 
universalities  - Practices specific to a given culture are culture 
care diversities  - Research findings indicate there is more 
diversity than universality.  
  5Leiningers Theory
- To practice from a cultural perspective 
 - Respect the culture 
 - Recognize the importance of the culture to 
nursing care  - If not practiced 
 - Patient can show signs of cultural conflict, 
noncompliance, stress, and ethical or moral 
concern  
  6Leiningers Sunrise EnablerA conceptual model 
to guide nursing judgments and activities to 
provide culturally congruent care 
(See Chitty  Black, 2007, pg. 343) 
 7How does Leiningers theory inform our practice?
- Remember.culturally congruent care is care that 
is beneficial and meaningful to the people being 
served (Andrews  Boyle, 2003, p. 6)  - Culture should determine the way that individuals 
receive care, based on the different ways their 
cultures meet their basic needs.  - By 2050, white native-born Americans are 
estimated to represent less than 50 of the 
population. To care for this increasingly 
diversified nation, nurses must embrace the 
concept of culturally congruent care!  
  8Leininger in Practice Cont
- Leiningers theory does not focus on medical 
symptoms, disease, or treatment, it focuses on 
the nurses approach to care (this is truly a 
holistic nursing idea!)  - Tailor your nursing care to your patients with 
the goal of improving their comfort and response 
to care  - Utilize this theory for holistic assessments of 
the patient  
  9Leininger in Practice Cont
- Spend time researching culture and asking 
questions  - Get patient feedback 
 - Dont assume 
 - Remember to ask what the patient considers good 
care  - Ask patients to describe their own experiences 
with health care  - Finding out about their culture helps identify 
the influencing factors related to their health 
practices and concerns  
  10Leininger In Practice Cont
- Leiningers Theory is flexible and widely useful 
 - it can be utilized with individuals, families, 
groups, communities and institution in diverse 
health systems (Andrews  Boyle, 2003, p. 6).  - No matter what type or setting of nursing you 
pursue, there is always a model to guide your 
care with concern to culture!  
  11Key Points to Remember..
- CULTURE 
 -  E 
 -  I 
 -  N 
 -  GUIDES 
 -  N 
 -  G 
 -  E 
 -  CARE 
 
  12Levines Conservation Model
- Four Guiding Principles 
 - of the 
 - Art of Nursing 
 - (1973) 
 
  13Primary Focus  Conservation of the Individual
- Adaptation to changes in health and disease so as 
to preserve individual integrity  - Individuals require nursing care when they are 
unable to adapt and retain wholeness themselves.  - Conservation aims to maintain an equilibrium 
conducive to health accordingly, many nursing 
interventions use conservation principles to 
maintain patient wholeness (Leach, 2006).  
  14A Conceptual Model to Guide Nursing Interventions
- Conservation of 
 - Energy 
 - Structural Integrity 
 - Personal Integrity 
 - Social Integrity 
 - Nursing Interventions focus on promotion and 
support of adaptation to preserve the four 
principles  
  15Conservation of Energy
- Promote the bodys energy balance when faced with 
changes in psychological or physiological 
processes so as to sustain life  - Energy conservation is based on the following 
ideas  - Patient activity is dependent on energy balance 
 - Illness increases energy demand 
 - Increased energy demand can be measured by the 
level of fatigue (Leach, 2006)  
  16Conservation of Structural Integrity
- Age and illness can produce structural changes 
which require adaptation  - Through conservation of structural integrity, 
patients will feel intact and whole and 
subsequently manifest improvements in 
self-identity (Leach, 2006)  
  17Conservation of Personal Integrity
- The conservation of personal integrity aims to 
protect personal identity, an intrinsic factor to 
wholeness of the individual  - Conserving personal integrity is based on the 
following ideas  - Individuals require privacy and are responsible 
for their own decisions  - Illness and hospitalization compromise personal 
integrity, self-identity, and self-respect 
(Leach, 2006).  
  18Conservation of Social Integrity
- Social interaction and relationship of self to 
others is key to unity of the individual  - Conserving social integrity is based on the 
following principles  - Individual life has meaning only in the context 
of social life  - Individual behavior is influenced by the ability 
to relate to various social groups  - Families often are affected by an individuals 
illness  - Hospitalization results in social isolation 
(Leach, 2006)  
  19Example of Levines Conservation Model 
www.ids-healthcare.com 
 20How does Levines Model inform our practice?
- RememberLevines Conservation Model is used to 
guide nursing interventions with the goal of 
conserving integrity of the individual through 
adaptation to physical and psychological changes.  - Nursing actions and interventions should 
 -  aim to conserve 4 areas of integrity 
 - Energy 
 - Physical Integrity 
 - Personal Integrity 
 - Social Integrity 
 
  21Nursing Interventions for Conservation of Energy
- The nurse will foster balance between energy 
output and input to avoid excessive fatigue  - Support adjustment to changes in living 
 -  situations (i.e. SNF) 
 - Improve nutritional status 
 - Control pain and anxiety 
 - Reduce patient activity when appropriate 
 - Promote exercise and 
 -  rehabilitation within the 
 -  patients abilities, limitations 
 -  and comfort 
 
  22Nursing Interventions for Conservation of 
Structural Integrity
- The nurse will help maintain or restore the 
patients body structure by preventing physical 
breakdown and promoting healing  - Precautions in infection and injury prevention 
 - Promote mobility 
 - Early ambulation to prevent complications of bed 
rest  - Assist in adaptation to decreased mobility 
 - Maintain musculoskeletal integrity through ROM 
exercises  - Maintain venous integrity through use of 
compression therapy and/or TED hose  - Maintain skin integrity (early detection and 
 -  management of disease processes conserve 
 -  structural integrity) 
 - Positioning 
 
  23Nursing Interventions for Conservation of 
Personal Integrity
- The nurse will help maintain or restore the 
patients sense of identity and self-worth, 
acknowledging uniqueness of the patient  - Respect ones privacy and property 
 - Support personal choice 
 - Enhance self-esteem through good hygiene and 
dress  - Foster independence 
 - Loss of independence negatively affects pride and 
self-identity  - Provide knowledge and support, but encourage 
patient to maintain independence  - Promote appropriate coping mechanisms 
 - Exercise 
 
  24Nursing Interventions for Conservation of Social 
Integrity
- The nurse will foster awareness that the patient 
is a social being who interacts with others in 
their social environment.  - Promote meaningful social activities and outings 
 - Encourage family support  education 
 - Promote family participation in care 
 - Foster patient interaction with others 
 - Promote healing to restore the 
 -  patients mobility 
 - Promote exercise to increase 
 -  the patients ability to socialize 
 
  25Key Points to Remember.
- Levines Model focuses on conserving the 
patients wholeness by regaining or maintaining 
their  -  Energy 
 -  Structural Integrity 
 -  Personal Integrity 
 -  Social Integrity
 
  26References 
- Andrews, M.M.  Boyle, J.S. (2003). Transcultural 
concepts in nursing care (4th ed.). Lippincott 
Philadelphia.  - Chitty, K.K.  Black, B.P. (2007) Professional 
nursing concepts and challenges (5th ed.). 
Suanders Elsevier St. Louis.  - Cox, R.A. (2003). Using NANDA, NIC, and NOC With 
Levine's Conservation Principles in a Nursing 
Home. International Journal of Nursing 
Terminologies and Classifications, Oct-Dec.  - Leach, M.J. (2006, August 1). Wound management 
using Levines conservation model to guide 
practice. Ostomy Wound Management, 52 (8). 
Retrieved October 17, 2008, from 
http//www.o-wm.com/article/6024  - Mock V., St. Ours C., Hall S., Bositis A. , 
Tillery M. , Belcher A., Krumm S.  McCorkle R. 
(2007) Using a conceptual model in nursing 
research - mitigating fatigue in cancer patients. 
Journal of Advanced Nursing 58(5), 503512.  - Schaefer, K., Potylycki, M.J. (1993). Fatigue 
associated with congestive heart failure use of 
Levine's Conservation Model. Journal of Advanced 
Nursing, 18, 260-268.  - www.madeleine-leininger.com