The student nurse has been studying different cultures in relationship to nursing.She understands that transcultural nursing has been developed as a distinct discipline and can be defined as which of the following?

A) Understanding that cultural patterns are generated from predetermined criteria
B) Knowing that culturally congruent care is based on health care system values
C) Understanding cultural similarities and differences among groups of people
D) The realization that illness and disease are the same

Leininger defines transcultural nursing as a comparative study of cultures to understand similarities (culture universal)and differences (culture-specific)across human groups.The goal of transcultural nursing is culturally congruent care,or care that fits a person's life patterns,values,and a set of meanings.Patterns and meanings are generated from people themselves rather than predetermined criteria.Culturally congruent care is sometimes different from the values and meanings of the professional health care system.To provide culturally congruent care,it is important for you to distinguish between disease and illness.Illness is the way that individuals and families react to disease,whereas disease is a malfunctioning of biological or psychological processes.