When we talk about the different nursing theories, the theory of goal attainment and the theory of transcultural nursing will always come to my mind. That's because in our current nursing practice, we have been inadvertently following these to its scope. DeNisco & Barker (2016) agree that some nurse practitioners consistently use models and theories to guide their practice, but most nurses are unaware of the existing theories and models or even know how to apply them (p. 642).
In comparing these two theories, let first understand it. The goal attainment theory was introduced by Imogene M. King. The theory states that "Nursing is a process of action, reaction and interaction by which nurse and client share information about their perception in a nursing situation" and "a process of human interactions between nurse and client whereby each perceives the other and the situation, and through communication, they set goals, explore means, and agree on means to achieve goals" (Current Nursing, 2012). This theory focused on the process of guiding and directing nurses in the nurse patient relationship, getting along together in meeting the goal towards the patient's good health. According to King (Current Nursing, 2012), there are three interacting systems in the Theory of Goal Attainment. These are the personal system, the interpersonal system, and the social system. King (Current Nursing, 2012) likewise gave emphasis about the nursing process in her model of nursing as it directly correlates with our practice today. These steps are assessment, nursing diagnosis, planning, implementations and evaluation.
On the other hand, the transcultural nursing theory was first introduced by Madeleine M. Leininger. Leininger (2008) defined transcultural nursing as "a substantive area of study and practice focused on comparative cultural care (caring) values, beliefs, and practices of individuals or groups of similar or different cultures with the goal of providing culture-specific and universal nursing care practices in promoting health or well-being or to help people to face unfavorable human conditions, illness, or death in culturally meaningful ways." Leininger (2008) identified three nursing decision and action modes to achieve culturally congruent care: 1. ) Cultural preservation or maintenance; 2. ) Cultural care accommodation or negotiation; 3...
