Her Theory and the Nursing Process

Characteristic of Henderson’s theory

• Theories can interrelate concepts in such a way as to create a different way of looking at a particular phenomenon.
• Concepts of fundamental human needs, biophysiology, culture, and interaction, communication and is borrowed from other discipline.E.g.. Maslow’s Hierarchy of human needs; concept of interaction-communication i.e. nurse-patient relationship
• Theories must be logical in nature.
• Her definition and components are logical and the 14 components are a guide for the individual and nurse in reaching the chosen goal.
• Theories should be relatively simple yet generalizable.
• Her work can be applied to the health of individuals of all ages.
• Theories can be the bases for hypotheses that can be tested. Her definition of nursing cannot be viewed as theory; therefore, it is impossible to generate testable hypotheses.
• However some questions to investigate the definition of nursing and the 14 components may be useful.
• Is the sequence of the 14 components followed by nurses in the USA and the other countries?
• What priorities are evident in the use of the basic nursing functions?
• Theories contribute to and assist in increasing the general body of knowledge within the discipline through the research implemented to validate them.
• Her ideas of nursing practice are well accepted throughout the world as a basis for nursing care.
• However, the impact of the definition and components has not been established through research.
• Theories can be utilized by practitioners to guide and improve their practice.
• Ideally the nurse would improve nursing practice by using her definition and 14 components to improve the health of individuals and thus reduce illness.
• Theories must be consistent with other validated theories, laws, and principles but will leave open unanswered questions that need to be investigated.

Philosophical claims

• The philosophy reflected in Henderson's theory is an integrated approach to scientific study that would capitalize on nursing's richness and complexity, and not to separate the art from the science, the "doing" of nursing from the "knowing", the psychological from the physical and the theory from clinical care.

Values and Beliefs

• Henderson believed nursing as primarily complementing the patient by supplying what he needs in knowledge, will or strength to perform his daily activities and to carry out the treatment prescribed for him by the physician.
• She strongly believed in "getting inside the skin" of her patients in order to know what he or she needs. The nurse should be the substitute for the patient, helper to the patient and partner with the patient.

• Like she said...

"The nurse is temporarily the consciousness of the unconscious, the love of life for the suicidal, the leg of the amputee, the eyes of the newly blind, a means of locomotion for the infant and the knowledge and confidence for the young mother..."

• Henderson stated that “Thorndike’s fundamental needs of man”   (Henderson, 1991, p.16) had an influence on her beliefs.

Henderson’s  theory and Nursing Process

Henderson views the nursing process as “really the application of the logical approach to the solution of a problem. The steps are those of the scientific method.” “Nursing process stresses the science of nursing rather than the mixture of science and art on which it seems effective health care service of any kind is based.

NURSING PROCESS	HENDERSON’S 14 COMPONENTS AND DEFINITON OF NURSING
Nursing Assessment	Henderson’s 14 components
Nursing Diagnosis	Analysis: Compare data to knowledge base of health and disease.
Nursing plan	Identify individual’s ability to meet own needs with or without assistance, taking into consideration strength, will or knowledge.
Nursing implementation	Document how the nurse can assist the individual, sick or well.
Nursing implementation	Assist the sick or well individual in to performance of activities in meeting human needs to maintain health, recover from illness, or to aid in peaceful death.
Nursing process	Implementation based on the physiological principles, age, cultural background, emotional balance, and physical and intellectual capacities. Carry out treatment prescribed by the physician.
Nursing evaluation	Henderson’s 14 components and definition of nursing Use the acceptable definition of ;nursing and appropriate laws related to the practice of nursing. The quality of care is drastically affected by the preparation and native ability of the nursing personnel rather that the amount of hours of care. Successful outcomes of nursing care are based on the speed with which or degree to which the patient performs independently the activities of daily living

References:

http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/henderson

http://nurses.info/nursing_theory_person_henderson_virginia

http://www.mayo.edu/education/nursing_research/henderson

http://www.nursinglibrary.org

http://novelguide.com

Image:

http://www.gulfcoast.edu/health_sciences/nursing/images/virginia_henderson.jpg