Evaluating Relevance of Nursing Theories in Cross-Cultural and International Contexts

Nursing has evolved over the past five decades in propagating the development of theoretical and empirical evidence through the application of nursing theories. The objective of this commentary is to stimulate scholarly debate focused on the development, application, and adaptation of nursing theory by nurse scientists, its relevance in the cross-cultural contexts, and to discuss future directions with a call to action using Leininger's seminal work on Culture Care Theory. The implicit nature of nursing theories preclude the optimal use and application in cross- cultural contexts because of the limitations in achieving conceptual, semantic, and operational equivalence. Work conducted by nurse scientists to date demonstrates that cultural values and beliefs are integral in cross-cultural contexts to enhance meaningful theory application for health interventions. More work is needed to advance nursing science through cross-cultural application of theories in research, practice, and education to optimize nursing theory adaptation in cross-cultural and international contexts.