Virginia Henderson developed her theory of nursing by defining nursing as assisting individuals with 14 components of basic care to maintain health or recover independence. Her theory focuses on the individual's needs within their environment. She views the nurse as temporarily substituting for patients' abilities until they can perform tasks on their own. Henderson sees nursing as a scientific problem-solving process carried out through assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. While her theory provided a framework for the nursing process, it had limitations regarding linking physiological concepts and unclear relationships between components of care.

1. HENDERSON'S THEORY
E. SNEHA,
M.SC (NURSING)- I YEAR,
VIVEKANANDHA COLLEGE OF NURSING.

2. Good Morning

3. 1) Introduction
2) Background of the theorist
3) Development of the nursing definition
4) Components of basic nursing care
5) Metaparadigm of Henderson's theory
6) Theoretical assession
7) Henderson and the nursing process
8) Characteristics of theory
9) Limitations
10)Conclusion
Outline

4. Virginia
Henderson
(Nov30,1897-
Mar19,1996)

5. INTRODUCTION
Virginia Henderson was born in Kansas
city, Missouri, in 1897, the fifth child of a
family of eight children.
Her interest in nursing evolved during
World War I from her desire to help the
sick and wounded militiary personnel.

6. She is also known as
"THE LADY OF NURSING"
"THE NIGHTINGALE OF MODERN NURSING"
"MODERN DAY MOTHER OF NURSING""
THE 20TH CENTURY FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE"

7. BACKGROUND OF
THE THEORIST

8. 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 B. Sc and M.A in nursing
1930- She served as a nurse supervisor and clinical
instructor at Strong Memorial Hospital,
Rochester, New York.

9. 1934- She worked as an instructor an associate
professor at Teachers College, New York.
1953- She was a research associate at Yale University
1971- She became the research emeritus and served
till her last breath.

10. DEVELOPMENT OF THE
NURSING DEFINITION

11. Two events are
the basis for
her
development of
nursing
definition
First, she participated in the revision of
a nursing textbook
Second, she was concerned that the
many states had no provision for
nursing licensure to ensure safe and
competent care for the consumers.

12. In 1939, she co-authored the "Textbook of
the principles and practice of nursing"
with a Canadian author, Bertha Harmer.
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) in1932 and 1937,
Henderson viewed these statement as
non-specific and unsatisfactory
definitions of nursing practice.

13. Then 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
Bertha Harmer's revised nursing textbook.

14. It read,
"Nursing is primarily assisting the individual
(sick or well) in the performance of those activities
contributing to health, or its recovery (or 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."

15. 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.'

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."

17. Henderson expects nurses 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 whatever the
patient lacking order to make him or her 'complete',
'whole' or 'independent' considering his or her
available physical strength, will or knowledge to
attain good health.

18. COMPONENTS OF BASIC
NURSING CARE

19. 1) Breath normally

20. 2) Eat and drink adequately

21. 3) Eliminates body waste

22. 4) Move and maintain
desirable posture

23. 5) Sleep and rest

24. 6) Select suitable clothes-
dress an undress

25. 7) Maintain body temperature
within normal range by adjusting
clothing and modifying the
environment

26. 8) Keep the body clean and
well-groomed and protect
the integument

27. 9) Avoid dangers in the
environment and avoid
injuring others

28. 10) Communicate with others
in expressing emotions, needs,
fear or opinions

29. 11) Worship according to
one's faith

30. 12) Work in such a way that
there is a sense of
accomplishment

31. 13) Play or participate in
various forms of recreations

32. 14) Learn, discover or satisfy
the curiosity that leads to
normal development and
health and use the available
health facilities

33. Metaparadigm of Henderson's theory
Individual Environmen
Health Nursing

34. Individual
 Have basic needs that are components of health.
 Requiring assistance to achieve health and independence or
a peaceful death.
 Mind and body are inseparable and inter related.
 Considers the biological, psychological, sociological and
spiritual components.
 The theory presents the patient as a sum of parts with bio-
psychosocial needs.

35. Environment
 Settings in which an individual learns unique pattern for living.
 All external conditions and influences that affect life and
development.
 Individuals 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.

36. Health
Health is based on individual's ability to function
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.

37. 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.'

38. Cont.
 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 patient's skin and supplement his strength, will or
knowledge according to his needs."

39. Theoretical assessions
Nurse- patient relationship
Nurse- physician relationship
Nurse as a member of the health care team.

40. Nurse- patient relationship
 The nurse as a substitute for the patient.
 The nurse as a helper to the patient.
 The nurse as a partner with patient.
 The nurse must be able to assess conditions and
pathological status of the patient.

41. Nurse- physician relationship
 Nurse has a 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.

42. Nurse as a health team member
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.

43. Henderson and the 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." With this approach, each person can
receive individualized care. Likewise, with the nursing process,
individualized care is the outcome.
 In Henderson's 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.

44. ASSESSMENT NURSING
DIAGNOSIS
PLANNING IMPLEMENTATI
ON
EVALUATION
Focus is on
assessing
Mrs. James's ability
relative to the 14
components of
basic nursing care;
I.e., Mrs. James is
left-handed with
left sided weakness
( related to
component#2 -
"eat and drink
adequately"
Relates to deficit in
the ability of Mrs.
James to function
in each of the 14
components.
Takes into
consideration
strength, will and
knowledge, I.e.,
inability to feed
self, due to left
handed weakness
(related to
component #2)
Focus is on
identifying those
areas of the 14
components that
Mrs. James cannot
do for self and
which therefore the
nurse must do to
assist in doing I.e.,
feed Mrs. James
until she is able to
feed self with right
hand. This should
lead to
independence on
the part of Mrs.
James.
Carries out the
plan to initially
feed Mrs. James
while teaching her
to use her right
hand to feed
herself
Relates to hoe
soon and how
well Mrs. James is
able to feed herself
with her right hand;
I.e., for the first
three days, she
needed to be fed;
by 4th day, held
utensils and fed self
with assistance; by
7th day, was able
to feed self if food
with bite-size.

45. Characteristics of theory
 Theories can inter-relate concepts in such a way as to
create a different ways of looking at a particular
phenomenon.
 Theories must be logical in nature.
 Theories should be relatively simple yet generalizable.
 Theories can be the bases for hypothesis that can be
tested.

46. Cont.
 Theories contribute to and assist in increasing the
general body of knowledge within the discipline through
the research implemented to validate them.
 Theories can be utilized by practitioners to guide and
improve the practice.
 Theories must be consistent with other validated
theories, laws and principles but will leave open
unanswered questions that need to be investigated.

47. Limitations
 Lack of conceptual linkage between physiological and
other human characteristics.
 The relationship 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.

48. 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."

49. THANK YOU!!