Human Needs Theory by Virginia Henderson

Virginia Henderson is one of the great theorist who developed the needs theory. The 14 needs are the roles of nursing care.

1. VIRGINIA HENDERSONS -NEED THEORY By E. Chauluka

2. OBJECTIVES By the end of the presentation the learners should be able to: Know the background of the theorist. State the assumptions of the theorist. Describe the concepts in the theory. Explain the metaparadigms used in the theory. Explain the interrelationships of the concepts in the theory. Explain how the theory can be applied . Discuss the strength and weaknesses of the theory. Describe the theory in your own words based on your understanding.

3. INTRODUCTION Virginia Henderson was born on 30 th November,1897 in Kansas city, Missouri. She was the daughter of Daniel Brosius Henderson and Lucy Minor Abbot. She died on march 19, 1996.

4. EDUCATION BACKGROUND She got her Diploma in nursing from the Army school of nursing at Walter Reed Hospital Washington DC in 1921. In 1923 she entered teachers college at Columbia University for her Bachelors Degree, and took her Masters Degree in 1934. She received 13 Honorary Degrees, was inducted into American Association of Hall of Fame and was awarded the most Prestigious Honor in nursing, the Christine Reimann prize by the International Council of nurses. She is also known as “ The first lady of nursing ”.

5. CAREER BACKGROUND In 1923 she started teaching nursing at the Norfolk Protestant Hospital in Virginia. In 1924-1929 she worked as an instructor and educational director in Norfolk Protestant Hospital, Norfolk Virginia. The following year 1930, she was a nurse supervisor and clinical instructor at outpatient department of Strong Memorial Hospital, Rochester, New york.

6. Career background cont……… From 1934-1948, 14 years of her career she worked as an instructor and associate professor at teaching college, Columbia University in New york. Since 1953, Henderson was a research associate at Yale University school of Nursing and a research associate emeritus (1971-1996). She wrote and published textbooks throughout her career as well as the nursing studies index, a 12 year project in which she covered the first 60 years of nursing.

7. WHAT MOTIVATED HER TO DEVELOP THE THEORY She examined the earlier statements of the nursing function by American Nurses Association and viewed these statements as non specific and unsatisfactory definition of nursing practice, thus in 1966 Henderson’s first definition of nursing was published in Bertha Harmer’s revised nursing textbook. She participated in revision of a nursing textbook. During the revision of the “Textbooks of the Principles and Practice of Nursing” written by Bertha Harmer (1922) Henderson realized the need to be clear about the functions of the nurse.

8. Motivation continues……. She was also concerned that many states had no provision of nursing licensure to ensure safe and competent care for the customers. She disliked the basic nursing education by the Army School of Nursing which emphasized on technical competency and mastery of nursing procedures, which viewed nursing as an extension of medical practice and provided no role model.

9. ASSUMPTIONS OF THE THEORY Nurses care for patients until patient can care for themselves once again. Health has a meaning shared by the society at large. Patients desire to return to health or peaceful death and will act in a such a way to achieve this. Individual will perform activities leading to health if they have the knowledge capacity and will.

10. Assumptions cont… The 14 basic needs represents nursing functions. Individuals goal and nurses goal are congruent Nursing goal may be subsumed into medical treatment plan . The nurse is an independent practitioner.

11. THE CONCEPTS OF NEED THEORY Henderson called her definition of nursing as concepts. She viewed human being, health, environment, and nursing as follows; Human Being The patient as an individual who requires assistance to achieve health and independence or peaceful death. The mind and the body are inseparable. The patient and the family are viewed as a unit.

12. Concepts cont….. Health She viewed health in terms of patients ability to perform unaided the 14 components of nursing care. She says it is “the quality of the health rather than health itself, that margins of mental physical vigor that allows a person to work most effectively and to reach his highest potential level of satisfaction in life.”(Tomey, 1989,p.83) as cited from several definitions of health from various sources including the one from the charter of the World Health Organization.

13. Concepts continues……….. Environment She used Webster dictionary which defines environment as “the aggregate of all the external conditions and influences affecting the life and development of an organism .”

14. Concepts cont…. Nursing In 1966, Henderson ultimate statement definition of nursing was published of her ideas, it reads as follows “the unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual (sick or well) in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery or peaceful death that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible.”

15. METAPARADIGM OF THE THEORY Individual Have basic needs that are components of health Requires assistance to achieve health and independence or peaceful death. Mind and body are inseparable and interrelated Considers the biological, psychological, sociological and spiritual components. The theory presents the patient as a sum of parts with bio psychosocial needs.

16. 2. Environment Settings in which an individual raise unique pattern of living. All external conditions and influences that affect life and development . It views individual in relation to their families and minimally discusses the impact of the community on the individual and the family Basic nursing care involves providing conditions under which the patient can perform 14 activities unaided.

17. 3. Health Definition based on individual ability to function independently as outlined in the 14 components Nurses needs to stress promotion of health, prevention and cure of disease. Because good health is a challenging goal for individuals, she urged that it is difficult for the nurse to help the patient reach it Good health is affected by age, cultural background, physical, intellectual capacities and emotional balance, and these affects an individuals ability to meet the 14 needs independently

18. 4. Nursing Temporarily assisting an individual who lacks the necessary strengths, will, and knowledge to satisfy one or more of the 14 basic needs. Assist and support the individual in life activities and attainment of independence The nurse serves to make patient in “complete” “whole” “and “independence.”

19. Continues……. The nurse is expected to carry out physicians therapeutics plans, individualized care is the result of the nurse’s creativity in planning the care. “Nurse should have knowledge to practice individualized and human care and should be a scientific problem solver.” In the nature of nursing, nurse role is “to get in side the patient skin and compliment his strength will or knowledge according to his needs.

20. Interrelationship of nursing concept Individual / environment/health Environment encompasses any place where there is therapeutic relationship between patient and nurse (Catalama, 2009). As illness occurs , the ability of the person to control his environment will diminish. It is the duty of the nurse to manage the patients surrounding to protect patients from any harm or injuries. Other components states that maintain body temperature within normal range by adjusting clothing and modifying. Incase of patient having fever, windows are opened, linen is reduced

21. Another component states that avoid dangers in environment and avoid injuring others. For example eclampsia client, bed rails are raised to prevent her from falling.

22. Man and nursing The aim of nursing is to help the individual regain his independence as soon as possible. The nurse can either be substitute, supplement or complement. In supplement the nurse helps the patient do the activities. In complement the nurse works with the patient, for patient to gain much independence as possible. I n substitute, the nurse works as a substitute for patients (doing something for the patients ).

23. All these roles are to help the patient become as independent as possible to achieve the 14 components on his or her own.

24. Nursing and health Nursing has viewed health as a continuum. Henderson views health as the quality of life and is the basis for the individual to perform the 14 components independently. Apart from basic nursing care, nurses play an important role in promotion of health and prevention of illness through health education. Age, culture, physical and intellectual capacities and emotional balance can affect health.

25. The 14 basic component functions as a guide to the nurses in health education. Promotion of health is more important in caring for the sick.

26. Diagram

27. APPLICATION OF THE THEORY A). NURSING PRACTICE The nurse can help the patient move to an independence state by; Assessment- assess the patient for the 14 fundamental needs and determine what are lacking. Planning- plan to meet the needs fit to the nursing plan. Implementation- uses the 14 basic needs in answering the factors contributing to the illness. Assist the sick or well individual to maintain health or recover for illness.

28. iv. Evaluation phase- decide whether goals are met or not . . Provides a rational for collecting reliable and valid data about the health status of the client. . Help build a nursing terminology with other health professional.

29. B). EDUCATION Development of three phases of curriculum development that students should progress in their learning. The focus in all three phases remains the same and these are ; Assisting the patients when he needs strength, will or knowledge in performing his daily activities or in carrying out prescribed therapy with the intimae goal of independence.

30. ii. Develop a habit of inquiry ; take course in biological , physical and social sciences and in humanities; study with students in other fields, observe effective care, and give effective care in variety of settings. iii. Involve students in the complete study of the patients and all his needs

31. Application cont.. C. MANAGEMENT The theory gives nurses a sense of identity and help nurse managers and other health care professionals to recognize the unique contribution that nurses make in health care services.

32. Application cont …. D .RESEARCH Research questions arise from each of the 14 components of basic nursing care. Henderson concluded that no profession, occupation or industry in this age can evaluate adequately or improve its practice without research. It offers flamework for generating knowledge and new ideas.

33. STRENGTH OF THE THEORY Henderson definition of nursing and 14 components of basic nursing care are logical and simple to understand It act as a guide for the patient and nurse to reach the chosen goal Henderson's idea of nursing are well accepted as a basic for nursing care throughout the world Her idea of nursing practice can be applied to the well being of an individual of all ages

34. WEAKNESSES OF THE THEORY Lack of conceptual linkage between physiological and other human characteristics. No concept of holistic nature of human being Lacks interrelation of factors and the influence of nursing care Little explanation of nurses role when it says “ helps in dying process” No clear relationship among the 14 components

35. DESCRIBING THE THEORY IN OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING The theory tells us that a human being can not leave without the 14 components, a health human being has the capability to accomplish the 14 components with no aid on daily basis and when a human is not well he or she needs the nurse to aid him or her to attain the activities of daily living. The theory made nursing to be an independent unit.{not under medical}. In nursing there should be no limit in education hence promoting hardworking spirit in nurses.

36. The theory also helps us to practice nursing in safe environment when providing care to patients to facilitate healing and prevent introducing infections to our patients as related to component #9, avoiding dangers in the environment and avoiding injuries. It also helps in giving systematic approach in rendering care to patients using the nursing process .

37. References   Henderson, V. (n.d.). The nature of nursing; A definition Implication practice and research . New York: Macmillan company https://gallery.library.vcu.edu/items/show/77970 Kozier B.J, Erb, G, Berman. A, Synder. S, Lake. R & Harvey. S (2008). Fundamentals of Nursing: concepts, process & practice. Harlow; Pearson Education.

38. Reference cont…… McEwen, M & Willis, E .M(2007). Theoretical basics for nursing , (2 nd Ed). Philadelphia; Lippincot. https;//Nurses labs.com/virginia-henderson-need-theory/?amp http;//vnherson2011.blogsport.com/p/majorconcepts.html?m=l Julia,B. & George.(2002). Nursing theories; The base for professional nursing practice . Library of congress catalogin-in; United States of America