Analysis

Virginia Henderson is most famous for her nursing Need Theory. This theory is focused on the idea that self-determinate patients are more likely to experience faster recovery and to sustain their health after leaving the hospital. She proposed that caring for the patient’s basic human needs is essential, and that nurse can help to meet those needs. There are four assumptions of the Need Theory. The first is the assumption that nurses will care for patients up until they are independent enough to care for themselves. The second assumption is that patients desire to return to health. The third is that the nurses are willing to devote themselves to the patient during any time of day. The last assumption is that the mind and body of a persona are one. Four major concepts were described in theory: environment, health, individual, and nursing. The environment is not clearly defined, but she states that it should be supportive. Henderson describes health as a balance in all aspects of life and is directly connected with independence. In her theory, the individual has basic needs that make up health and need to be met to achieve the required nursing results. Interestingly, her idea of patients includes more than just people suffering from illnesses (Smith & Parker, 2015). Henderson’s concept of nursing requires the most explanation. Its definition was written before she started her work on the theory. This definition concerned the unique role of the nurse in aiding the patient in performing health-related activities until the patient can do them independently while doing things according to the therapeutic plan provided by a physician. However, she states that the nurse should be able to act creatively and independently if it is required (Alligood, 2014).

The main purpose of the nurse in this theory is to help individuals who cannot fulfill one or more of the 14 needs defined by Henderson. These needs make up the fourteen components of the Need Theory. These components can be separated into categories. Physiological:

1. The need to breathe normally;

2. The need to eat and drink adequately;

3. The need to eliminate body wastes;

4. The need to move and stand with the desired posture;

5. The need to rest and sleep;

6. The need to dress and undress in the desired clothes;

7. The need to maintain the required body temperature through clothes adjustment or environment adjustment;

8. The need for cleanliness, grooming, and skin protection;

9. The need to avoid dangers from the environment, and possible injury to people around the patient.

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The second category is psychological, and involves communication and learning:

1. The need to communicate and express emotions;

2. The need to learn, discover new information, or develop through the satisfaction of curiosity.

The smallest category concerns the spiritual and moral needs of a person:

1. The need to worship according to the faith of the person.

The last category concerns the needs related to sociological aspects of life:

1. The need to work with a sense of accomplishment;

2. The need for recreation (Butts & Rich, 2013).

Relevance

The writing of Virginia Henderson is not only relevant today, but is widely used in everyday nursing. The writing style is almost poetic when she describes what the nurse should be for the patient. She was clearly concerned for the wellbeing of every patient, and that is why this system is so extensive, while also being understandable to a layman. It could be said that this theory is closely connected to her personality and approach to healthcare. Henderson defined one of the most important parts of health – independent practice of health activities. While the hospital can heal a person, without independence, they will again become a patient. This type of approach to healthcare is timeless, because a person has to be able to care for his health, no matter the era. This is what led to her theories being applied to practice by most of the modern nurses, making it one of the most relevant nursing theories today (Sitzman & Eichelberger, 2015).

Summary

Henderson states that the role of the nurse is to assist the patient until they are able to fulfill their basic needs. In this theory, she outlines 14 basic nee