Abstract
Modern nurses have to deal with different patients and make sure their services and knowledge are accurate and helpful. There are many models to be applied to real-world nursing, and the need theory developed by Virginia Henderson is one of the methods for analysis. In this paper, the conceptual model analysis of Henderson’s work is developed to clarify its origins, focus, and content. Her theory represents the idea of a nursing role as an assistant to patients in their intention to learn medical terms and conditions. As well as any nursing theory, the need theory is based on four major concepts, health, individual, environment, and nursing.
Henderson gave a definition to each issue and developed propositions to link patients and nurses. Individual care, education of patients, and cooperation in healthcare settings are the elements of the analysis. Evaluation of the model includes the discussion of its logical congruence, legitimacy, and generation to prove the correctness of its application in today’s nursing practice with respect to patients’ and their families’ needs and expectations.
Introduction
Among a variety of clinical situations and people, any nurse should understand and follow specific concepts and standards. In nursing practice, Virginia Henderson is known as one of the most influential contributors, whose theory of need is based on a perfect combination of education, practice, and extensive research. She was an author of a unique function of nursing and the identification of patients’ needs. Henderson (1964) explained that a nurse has to complement the patient by “supplying what he needs in knowledge, will, or strength to perform his daily activities” and follow the treatment prescribed (p. 66).
Fourteen components are introduced as a nursing concept to underline the patient’s independence and nurses’ support, which perfectly meets my beliefs about nursing in the modern world. Her education at the Army School of Nursing, teaching career, research activities, and traveling experience serve as a solid background for the model development. The science of nursing was emerged out of Henderson’s discussions and observations of the relationships between patients and nurses. This paper aims at analyzing and evaluating the basics of Henderson’s theory of need, along with its concepts and applicability in today’s practice.
Analysis
Origins of the Model
The events of World War I had a significant impact on Henderson and her intention to strengthen the role of nursing in patient care. She wanted to identify the main needs of sick and wounded people and help them recover. To define nursing, Henderson introduced 14 needs according to which nursing care must be developed through bodily and emotional functions (Masters, 2018). A peculiar feature of Henderson’s work is a combination of practical and research activities. A future theorist believed that the quality of human life depends on how well a nurse understands his/her functions. While revising Textbook of the Principles and Practice of Nursing written by Harmer at the beginning of the 20th century, Henderson came to the conclusion that nurse functions were poorly recognized (Masters, 2018).
In addition, no licensed backgrounds for competent care were developed at the moment. Therefore, she found it obligatory to add her definitions of nursing to Harmer’s revised version. Her motifs and philosophical claims were directed to the possibilities of patients to improve their care by recognizing their needs and cooperating with nurses.
In her work, Henderson addressed several theorists and authors to show what was known about nursing. She was fascinated by the work of Florence Nightingale, who underlined the development of best conditions for patients, or Effie Taylor, who said about the importance of adapting to therapy and treatment, (Henderson, 1964). In the theory of need, the philosophy of patient independence in health care was reflected. This world view encouraged people to learn about their responsibilities and use nurses as one of the credible sources of information and motivation. Supported by a properly chosen medical terms and definitions, the offered model was positively accepted by the nursing community.
Unique Focus
The goal of the nursing need theory is to introduce a unique focus of nursing and prove its appropriateness. A patient is defined as an individual with a need to achieve autonomy in personal care, and a nurse as a person for professional assistance (Fernandes, Clares, Borges, da Nóbrega, & de Freitas, 2019). In terms of the chosen model, all the fourteen needs of patients may be divided into four groups, including biological or physiological, moral or spiritual, psychological, and social (Fernandes et al., 2019).
As a rule, patients do not have enough knowledge about all these needs, and a nurse must help in recognizing and understanding these issues and make sure high-quality care is offered. According to Carper (as cited in Durepos, Orr, Ploeg, & Kaasalainen, 2018), there are four main categories of nursing knowledge that has to be identified, including empiric, ethic, aesthetic, and person. The theory of needs properly reflects each of the categories, proving that systematically organized data is as important as each patient’s personal information, interests, obligations, and judgments.
Content
As well as any theory or nursing model, Henderson’s need theory is characterized by well-defined concepts and propositions. It is not enough for nurses to care for patients and educate them. Nurses must understand how to devote themselves to patients and improve the quality of care to promote wellbeing every day and night. Ndiok and Ncama (2018) specify that Henderson focused on individual care through the prism of 14 components that explain the nursing role and preferred actions to preserve health. In the following table, the metaparadigm of Henderson’s need theory is introduced.
Theorist Name: Virginia Henderson.
Evaluation
Explication of Origins
The model introduced by Henderson is one of the most successful attempts to determine the role of nurses and explain the major aspects of nursing care that has to be offered to a patient. Its philosophical claims are explicit and serve as a good foundation for other theories and approaches. Every patient is unique and possesses a number of personal interests, demands, and expectations.
Therefore, it is correct to admit that Henderson chose to focus on individual care, where the role of a nurse is to assist with activities (Ahtisham & Jacoline, 2015). The achievements that had been made by the American Nurses’ Association, Nightingale, and Taylor before Henderson’s work were accurately defined and explained (Henderson, 1964). Therefore, the origins of the theory remain clear and thoughtful to prove its urgency and appropriateness for the century.
Comprehensiveness of Content
The evaluation of the nursing model is based on the content and an understanding of the concepts and propositions. In Henderson’s work, there are certain shortages like the necessity to define responsibilities on both a patient and a nurse without their consent. The proposition that a patient has to address a nurse to learn better his or her condition and available therapies is not an option but an obligation. Another important aspect is the link between concepts. In this need’s theory, the author underlined the impact of nurses’ and patients’ abilities to share information and analyze needs and the neglect of the worth of experience and the duration of care.
Despite these misunderstandings and shortcomings, the chosen theory may be sufficiently broad to support nursing research, education, and administration. A person may not have every need (out of 14) to be identified. Still, a nurse has to be responsible to do for the patient to act normally, to obtain physical strength, and to learn something new about health (Ndiok & Ncama, 2018). The connection between the concepts of health, individual, environment, and nursing makes the model recognizable and effective.
Logical Congruence
In Henderson’s model, several world views are mentioned, which makes it critical to evaluate its logical congruence that is evident. Different categories of nursing knowledge are reflected by the model because a nurse should not only support or educate a patient but also assess his or her emotional and physical status and develop appropriate recommendations (Ahtisham & Jacoline, 2015). All viewpoints are divided into within the framework and incorporated in regards to the person’s needs and nurse’s assessment possibilities.
Generation of Theory
The definition given by Henderson in the need theory was one of the most influential moments in nursing practice. It changed the way nurses developed their services around the globe and improved patients’ health and wellbeing. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is one of the theories that have been generated from the model under analysis. Millions of people compare and contrast the concepts of both theories to clarify their strengths and weaknesses.
Legitimacy
Regarding the main idea of Henderson’s approach, the application of the model is feasible and remains competitive in the field of nursing. Sometimes, it is normal to observe that the list of needs is not full for every patient due to specific clinical situations, patients, and other external details (Ndiok & Ncama, 2018). It is useful in guiding nursing assessment and the development of care that can be offered to patients and their families.
Contributions
Paying attention to the overall contribution of the model to nursing, one should admit that Henderson succeeded in the personalization of care and the recognition of the role of both a patient and a nurse. There are many ways of how care and treatment are introduced and implemented in different clinical situations, but the standards of individual care cannot be broken (Ahtisham & Jacoline, 2015). The need theory is not only a guide for patients and nurses but a rule to improve the quality of care and communication in medical settings.
Application
Nowadays, Henderson’s model is frequently applied to real nursing practice. Ahtisham and Jacoline (2015) introduced the example of how a female patient X is admitted to the surgical unit with suicidal attempts and assessed by means of the concepts of the theory. Palliative care is based on the same concepts to educate patients through cooperation with nurses (Ndiok & Ncama, 2018). This theory helps achieve independence among older adults and maintain physical and mental integrity (Fernandes et al., 2019). The improvement of human wellbeing and increased patient knowledge are evident outcomes of this model’s application.
In a nursing setting, I find this model helpful due to the possibility to help patients and underline the role of nurses in practice. I believe that nurses should be properly aware of how to assist ordinary people and use their communicative skills in dealing with a disease. For example, after surgery, a patient and his or her family must learn the basics of a healthy lifestyle to predict complications or recurrence. Attention to patient’s needs is a good and clear plan to be followed for the control and prevention of diseases.
In general, I find the model developed by Henderson more than a century ago a credible source of information for modern practice. Nurses understand the impact of their actions on human health and improve their skills to make sure their help and recommendations are accurate and effective. The chosen theorist changed the quality of nursing care, and I want to believe that her viewpoints, like my own position, are correct for people to be strong, healthy, and ready for treatment.
References
Ahtisham, Y., & Jacoline, S. (2015). Integrating nursing theory and process into practice; Virginia’s Henderson need theory. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(2), 443-450.
Durepos, P., Orr, E., Ploeg, J., & Kaasalainen, S. (2018). The value of measurement for development of nursing knowledge: Underlying philosophy, contributions and critiques. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 74(10), 2290-2300. Web.
Fernandes, B. K. C., Clares, J. W. B., Borges, C. L., da Nóbrega, M. M. L., & de Freitas, M. C. (2019). Nursing diagnoses for institutionalized elderly people based on Henderson’s theory. Revista Da Escola de Enfermagem Da USP, 53. Web.
Henderson, V. (1964). The nature of nursing. American Journal of Nursing, 64, 62–68. Web.
Masters, K. (2018). Models and theories focused on nursing goals and functions. In J. B. Butts & K. L. Rich (Eds.), Philosophies and theories for advanced nursing practice (3rd ed.) (pp. 954-1015). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Ndiok, A., & Ncama, B. (2018). Assessment of palliative care needs of patients/families living with cancer in a developing country. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. Web.