Who developed the Culture Care Theory, central goal of which is to provide culturally congruent nursing care?

• A. Madeleine Leininger
• B. Imogene King
• C. Ida Jean Orlando
• D. Hildegard Peplau

Answer: (A)

Culture care theory centers on delivering nursing care that fits the client’s cultural values, beliefs, and practices, recognizing that culture shapes how health, illness, and care are experienced. Madeleine Leininger developed this theory as part of transcultural nursing, introducing ideas like cultural care preservation and accommodation, and using tools such as the Sunrise Model to explore how culture influences care choices. The central goal is to provide culturally congruent care, which helps patients feel understood, improves adherence, and supports better outcomes when care aligns with their cultural context.

This contrasts with other foundational theories: Imogene King’s framework focuses on achieving mutual goals through the nurse–patient relationship and communication; Ida Jean Orlando emphasizes the nursing process as a collaborative, problem-solving dialogue; Hildegard Peplau centers on the therapeutic, interpersonal relationship and the phases of interaction. While valuable, they do not organize nursing care around aligning with a patient’s cultural background the way Leininger does.