Nursing theory, Virginia Henderson

1. SALALE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF HEALTH AND MEDICAL SCIENCES
POST GRADUATE NURSING PROGRAM
SEMINAR PRESENTATION ON VERGINIA HENDERSON NURSING
NEED THEORY
Submitted to: Bikila Tesfa(Ass’t proffesor)
Dec. 07/2022 G.C
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2. GROUP MEMBERS
1. KENASAAYANA
2. GALATO HINIKA
3. AHMED MOSSA
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3. HENDERSON’S NURSING NEED THEORY
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4. Out Line
• Introduction
• Back Ground Of The Theorist
• Theoretical source
• Major concept of definitions
• Major assumptions
• Use of emperical evidence
• Support of theory
• Application of theory in nursing practice, research and
education.
• critique
• Limitations
• Conclusion
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6. Introduction
Overview of the theory
Central concept is
increasing the patient’s independence and
focusing on the basic human needs so that
progress after hospitalization would not be
delayed
define the unique focus of nursing practice
• emphasizes the basic human needs and how
nurses can meet those needs.
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7. INTRODUCTION….
 Her interest in nursing evolved during world war I
from her desire to help the sick and wounded military
personnel.
 She is also known as:-
‘’the lady of nursing ‘’
“the nightingale of modern nursing”
“modern day mother of nursing”
“the 20th century florence nightingale”
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8. BACK GROUND OF THE THEORIST
 Virginia Henderson was born in Kansas city ,
Missouri, in1897, the fifth child of a family of
eight children.
 1921-she received a diploma in nursing from the
army school of nursing , washington.
 1923-she started teaching nursing at the norfolk
protestant hospital in virginia.
 1929-she joined teacher’s college at columbia
and she completed her Bsc and Ms in nursing
 1930-she served as a nurse supervisor and
clinical instructor at strong memorial hospital,
Rochester Newyork.
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9. CONT…
 1934- she worked as an instructor an associate
professor at college , Newyork.
 1953- she was a research associate at Yale
university
 1972- she became the research emeritus and
served till her last breath.
 Numerous awards and recognition;
-christianne reiman price
-Honorary Doctoral degrees
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10. THEORETICAL SOURCE
A grand theory which developed by
Henderson:-
oThe main source of the theory is derived
from her experience of practice and
education.
oSome scholar says Maslow's hierarchy of
need theory used as reference for this
theory.
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11. DEVELOPMENT OF NURSING DEFINITION
Two events are basis for her development of nursing
definition
 First she participated in the revision of a nursing text
book.
 Second she was concerned that the many states had
no provision for nursing licensure to ensure safe and
competent care for the consumers.
 In 1939 , she co-authored the ‘’text book of the
principles and practice of nursing ‘’ with a Canadian
author , Bertha Harmer.
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12. CONTI…
During this time, she recognized the need to be
clear about the functions of the nurse.
Although official statement on the nursing
functions were published by the American
Nurses Association (ANA) in 1932 and 1937
Henderson viewed these statements as non-
specific unsatisfactory definitions of nursing
practice.
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13. CONTI…
 In 1955, the earlier ANA definition was
modified. This was seen as an improvement
since nursing functions were identified but the
definition still was thought to be very general
and too vague.
So she published her first definition of nursing
in Betha Harmer’s revised nursing text book.
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14. CONTI…
It read
“Nursing is primarily assisting the individual
(sick/well)in the performance of those
activities contributing to health or its recovery
( a death) that he would perform unaided if he
had necessary strength ,will or knowledge. It is
likewise the unique contribution of nursing to
help the individual to be independent of such
assistance as soon as possible”.
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15. CONTI…
Henderson’s focus on individual care is
evident in that she stressed Assisting
individual with essential activities to maintain
health, to recover or to achieve peaceful death.
In 1966 her ultimate statement on the
definition of nursing was published in ‘the
nature of nursing’ .
This statement was viewed as ‘’ the
crystallization of my ideas’.
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16. DEFINITION OF NURSING
“ 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 a peaceful death) that he would
perform unaided if he had the necessary
strength , will or knowledge. And to do this is
such a way as to help him gain independence
as rapidly as possible.”
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17. CONTI…
Henderson expects nurse to carry out the
therapeutic plan of the physician as a member
of the medical team. This nursing function is
believed to foster the therapeutic nurse-patient
relationship. The nurse serves as a substitute
for what ever the patient lacking order to make
him/her ‘complete’ ‘whole’ / ‘independent’
considering his or her available physical
strength, will/knowledge to attain good health.
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18. 14 Components of the Need
Theory
The 14 components of Virginia Henderson’s
Need Theory show a holistic nursing approach
covering physiological, psychological, spiritual,
and social needs
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20. Physiological Components
1. breath normally
2. Eat and drink adequately
3. Eliminate body waste
4. Move and maintain desirable posture
5. Sleep and rest
6. Select suitable clothes- dresses and undress
7. Maintain body temprature within normal range
by adjusting clothing and modifying the
environment
8. Keep the body clean and well groomed and
protect the integument.
9. Avoid dangers in the environment and avoid
injuring others.
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21. Psychological Aspects of Communicating and
Learning
10. Communicate with others in expressing
emotions, needs, fear or opinions.
14. Learn , discover or satisfy the curiusity that
leads to normal development and health and
use the available health facilities.
Spiritual and Moral
11. Worship according to one’s faith.
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22. Sociologically Oriented to Occupation and
Recreation
12.Work in such a way there is a sense of
accomplishment.
13.Play or participate in various forms of
recreations.
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23. Major concepts
1.Focus on individual care
2.Imporance of the environment in the perception of
health and well-being
three areas of the environment;
-biological
-physical
-behavioral
3.Health is related to independence with the
activities of daily living .
4.Nursing-assist the individual
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24. Major concepts cont…
 Individual
 Environment
 Health
 Nursing
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25. INDIVIDUAL
• Have a basic need that are components of health.
• Requiring assistance to achieve health and
independence /peaceful death.
• Mind and body are inseparable and inter-related.
• Considers the biological, physiological,
sociological and spiritual components.
• The theory presents the patient as a sum of parts
with bio psychosocial needs.
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26. ENVIRONMENTS
Setting in which an individual learns unique
pattern for living.
All external conditions and influences that
affect life and developments.
Individual in relation to families.
Minimally discusses the impact of the
community on the individual and family.
Basic nursing care involves providing
conditions under which the patient can perform
the 14 activities unaided.
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27. HEALTH
• Health is based on individual’s ability to
functions independently as outlined in the 14
components.
• Good health is a challenge affected by age,
cultural background, physical and intellectual
capacities and emotional balance is the meet
these needs.
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28. NURSING
• Temporarily assisting an individual who lacks
the necessary strength, will and knowledge to
satisfy one or more of basic needs.
• Assists and supports the individual in life
activities and the attainment of independence.
• Nurse serves to make patient ‘complete’,
whole , or independent.
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29. • The nurse is expected to carry out physician’s
therapeutic plan. Individualized care is the result
of the nurse’s creativity in planning for care.
• Nurse should have knowledge to practice
individualized and human care and should be a
scientific problem solver.
• In the nature of nursing, nurse’s role is ‘to get
inside the patients skin and supplement his
strength , will or knowledge according to his
needs”.
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30. Assumptions of the Need Theory
1. The mind and body are inseparable and
interrelated(biological, psychological,
sociological, and spiritual components)
2. Nurses care for the patients until they care for
themselves once again
3. Patient's desire to return to health
4. Nurses are willing to serve- devote themselves
day and night
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31. 3 ROLES of NURSE
1.Substitutive –”doing for the person”
2.Supplementry-”helping the person”
3.Complementry-”working with the person”
(Atisham and jacoline,2015, p 444)
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32. THEORETICAL ACCESSIONS
 Nurse-patient Relation Ship
Nurse-physician Relation Ship
Nurse As A Member Of The Health Care team
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33. Nurse-patient Relation Ship
The nurse as a substitute for a patient.
The nurse as a helper to the patient.
The nurse as a partner with patient.
The nurse must be able to asses conditions and
pathological status of the patient.
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34. Nurse-physician Relation Ship
Nurse has unique function distinct from
physician.
The care plan formulated by nurse must be
implemented.
When physician are unavailable , the nurse
must help patients with health management.
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35. Nurse As A Member Of The Health
Care team
• She states no one of the team should make
such heavy demands on another member that
anyone of them is unable to perform their
unique function.
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36. HENDERSON AND THE NURSING
PROCESS
Henderson views the nursing process as really the
application of logical approach to the solution of a
problem. The steps are those of scientific method
with this approach each person can receive
individualized care . Like wise with the nursing
process individualized care is the out come.
In Henderson more recent writings , she raises some
issues regarding the nursing process. Although
she does not refer directly to assessment , she
implies it in her description of the 14 components
of basic nursing care.
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37. EMPERICAL EVIDENCE
Characteristics of theory
• Her theories cannot inter relate concepts in
such a way as to create a different ways of
looking at a particular phenomenon because of
lack of conceptual framework.
• But this theory is logical and relatively simple
yet generalizable
• This theory is less base for hypothesis but 14
basic need components are open for research
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38. CONTI…
• This theory contribute to and assist in
increasing the general body of knowledge
within the discipline through the research
implemented to validate them.
• This Theory can be utilized by practitioners to
guide and improve the practice.
• Theories is consistent with other validated
theories ,laws and principles but will leave
open unanswered questions that need to be
investigated.
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39. Support of theory
Some theorists used her need theory for their
work.
Example:- Abdalla’s 21 components of nursing
problems theory considered as support of the
theory.
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40. Application of the Need Theory
• Henderson’s Needs Theory can be applied to nursing
practice as a way for nurses to set goals based on
Henderson’s 14 components.
• Meeting the goal of achieving the 14 needs of the client
can be a great basis to further improve one’s performance
towards nursing care.
• In nursing research, each of her 14 fundamental concepts
can serve as a basis for research, although the statements
were not written in testable terms.
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41. Critiques of Need Theory
Based on chinn and kramer’s for evaluation of theory and
our opinion the following points are examined.
Simplicity
Virginia Henderson’s concept of nursing is widely
accepted in nursing practice today. Her theory and 14
components are relatively simple, logical, and applied
to individuals of all ages.
Generality
The theory has been applied in many different clinical
settings.
The nursing need theory has been used by many and has
been demonstrated to be useful in clinical practice.
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42. Clarity
There is an absence of a conceptual diagram
that interconnects Henderson’s theory’s 14
concepts and sub concepts. On assisting the
individual in the dying process, there is little
explanation of what the nurse does to provide
“peaceful death.”
Accessibility virginia’s theory is comprehensive
and broad enough in scope to include all areas
of nursing practice
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43. Analysis of virginias’s theory of need
Criteria for evaluation of the theory is adapted from Barnum
(1998). According to Barnum there are 2 types of criticism;
Internal & external criticism
Internal criticism (examines how the components of the
theory fit with each other)
• Clarity – it is easy to understand.
• Consistency – defined key concepts throughout the
theory.
• Adequacy – it is adequate, no gaps.
• Logical – Logically developed
• Level of theory development- it is grand theory
• Generality –it has wide scope of experience
• Testability-low testability b/c of lack of conceptual frame
work
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44. Cont…
External criticism (examines how a theory relates to
the extant world)
• Reality convergence – represents real world.
Appropriate in all health care settings
• Complexity – very straight forward
• Significance – it is very relevant to nursing.
• Discrimination – have precise and clear boundaries.
• Scope of theory – very broad, relevant to nursing
practice, nursing education, nursing research and
other disciplines.
• Utility – it is time consuming and burdensome
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45. LIMITATIONS
 Lack of conceptual linkage between
physiologic and other human characteristics.
 The relationships among the 14 components is
unclear.
 In assisting the individual in the dying process
which leads to wonder why this treatment was
chosen or if it was merely to single out this
event as an important one in which nursing has
a significant role.
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46. CONCLUSION
 Henderson did not intend to develop a theory
of nursing but rather she attempted to define
the unique focus of nursing.
She was then known as the nurse , theorist and
author known for her need theory “first lady of
nursing “ “the nightingale of modern nursing”
“modern day mother of nursing “ “20th
century Florence Nightingale”.
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47. Reference
• Virginia A. Henderson (1897-1996) 1996 Inductee. (n.d.). Virginia A.
Henderson (1897-1996) 1996 Inductee. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from
https://www.nursingworld.org/VirginiaAHenderson
• Virginia A. Henderson (1897-1996) 1996 Inductee. (n.d.). Virginia A.
Henderson (1897-1996) 1996 Inductee. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from
https://www.nursingworld.org/VirginiaAHenderson
• Virginia Avenel Henderson, RN, MA. (n.d.). – Virginia Henderson
International Nursing e-Repository. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from
https://www.nursinglibrary.org/vhl/pages/vhenderson.html
• VIRGINIA HENDERSON. (n.d.). Virginia Henderson and her Timeless
Writings. Retrieved July 27, 2014, from
https://www.unc.edu/~ehallora/henderson.htm
• George B. Julia (2010). Nursing Theories: The Base for Professional
Nursing Practice. Pearson Higher Ed USA.
• Meleis Ibrahim Afaf (1997). Theoretical Nursing: Development & Progress
3rd ed. Philadelphia, Lippincott.
• Henderson, V. (1966). The nature of nursing. In George, J. (Ed.). Nursing
theories: the base for professional nursing practice. Norwalk, Connecticut:
Appleton & Lange.
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48. END
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