The Nursing Need Theory

Topic Description Meaning

Virginia Henderson created the nursing need theory. The Need Theory stresses the significance of strengthening the patient’s independence and concentrating on the essential needs of patients to ensure that recovery after hospitalization does not take longer than is necessary (Gonzalo, 2022). Virginia Henderson is recognized as one of the most significant contributors to nursing practice, and her theory is grounded on a flawless synthesis of broad study, experience, and training. According to Henderson, a nurse must support the patient by offering them what they need in information, motivation, or capacity to undertake their daily activities and ensuring that the patient is receiving the prescribed care.

In order to emphasize the patient’s independence and the nurses’ support, the theory offers fourteen components as a nursing concept, which completely satisfies the objectives of nursing in the contemporary world. The fourteen components are derived from human needs that inform nursing activities (Gonzalo, 2022). Her academic background, teaching experience, research efforts, and travel experiences provide a strong foundation for the model’s development. Henderson’s talks and observations of the interactions between patients and nurses led to the development of the science of nursing.

The nursing need theory aims to introduce a distinctive nursing perspective and justify its applicability. A patient is an individual with a need for personal care autonomy, and the nurse provides them with professional assistance (Fernandes et al., 2019). Based on this model, four categories can be used to categorize all fourteen patient needs: physiological or biological, moral or spiritual, psychological, and social. Patients typically lack sufficient understanding of all these needs, so a nurse must help them recognize and comprehend these problems and ensure that high-quality healthcare is administered. The theory of needs illustrates the various patient needs, illustrating the significance of systematic data organization.

The theory’s four major themes are health, environment, individual, and nursing. Henderson argues that every person has needs that are vital to their health. People might need assistance getting healthy and self-sufficient or getting help dying peacefully. The individual considers the four aspects and believes that the body and mind are interdependent and interrelated. Rather than seeing the patient as a customer or client, the theory sees them as a collection of parts with biophysical needs. The theory assumes that nurses attend to patients until they can independently care for themselves, the patients are motivated to regain their independence, nurses have motivated to deliver patient care around the clock, and the body and mind are interdependent and inseparable (Gonzalo, 2022).

Origins of the Theory

Henderson was immensely inspired by the events of World War I in her desire to enhance nursing’s role in patient care. She sought to help the wounded and sick by determining their essential needs. Henderson identified 14 needs that nursing care must be established through biological and emotional functions (Masters, 2018). Henderson concluded that nurse functions were not sufficiently acknowledged when revising Harmer’s book on nursing practices (textbook of the Principles and Practice of Nursing) (Masters, 2018).

Moreover, there were no licensed backgrounds for licensed care at the time. She, therefore, felt obliged to reinforce Harmer’s updated definition of nursing with her version. Her principles and philosophies centered on the potential for patients to optimize their care by assessing their needs and collaborating with nurses. The theory of need articulated the idea of patient autonomy in healthcare. This kind of thinking drove people to be more aware of their responsibilities and to turn to nurses as useful resources for knowledge and motivation. The nursing community highly accepted the model because it was backed up by medical definitions and well-thought medical terms.

Usefulness

Henderson’s theory is still heavily used in modern nursing practice. Ahtisham and Jacoline (2015) illustrated how a female patient named X was assessed using the theory’s concepts after admission to a surgical unit with suicidal attempts. The theory’s concepts were applied to identify the emotional and physiological needs of the patients, the environmental factors contributing to their situation, and the role of healthcare professionals in helping them recover. The same concepts underlie patient education through collaboration with nurses are also employed in palliative care (Ndiok & Ncama, 2018). This theory promotes older people’s independence and preserves their physical and mental wellbeing (Fernandes et al., 2019). The application of this approach has improved human wellbeing and enhanced patient awareness.

This nursing needs theory to outline the need t help patients and highlights the importance of nurses in practice, which is useful in a nursing context. Nurses should have a strong grasp of how to serve patients and use their knowledge and skills when managing sickness. For instance, a patient and their family must learn the basics of a healthy lifestyle to avoid complications or recurrence following surgery. A suitable and obvious strategy to be pursued for controlling and preventing diseases is to heed the patient’s needs. To ensure that their support and recommendations are effective and successful, nurses should be aware of how their actions impact human health and constantly work to enhance their skills.

Testability

No evidence exists that the Need Theory has been put to the test. Virginia Henderson did not intend to create a nursing theory and did not develop the theoretical statements necessary to make the theory testable. Even though the Need Theory was not expressed in testable principles, it may be redefined into researchable statements. Henderson, however, formulated the Need Theory using deductive reasoning of the scientific method. Henderson’s experiences from visiting various hospitals and observing the patients’ needs led to the development of the Need Theory. The needs theory was not an outcome of the research, but other researchers have benefited from it. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is an example of the theories developed from the nursing need theory. The 14 components of the nursing needs theory can be categorized under the different categories of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

Overall Evaluation

We cannot conclude that the nursing needs theory’s 14 components are everything people require to stay healthy and survive. There can be new needs that people and patients can benefit from as patient needs and preferences evolve. It was not clearly expressed how the 14 components are prioritized or whether one component is a prerequisite to the others.

One of the theory’s strengths is that the 14 components are logical, simple and applicable to persons of all ages, giving it widespread acceptance. However, a lack of conceptual diagrams interconnecting the theory’s concepts is a weakness, as nurses may experience challenges understanding how they interact and overlap.

The theory is a useful resource that I would use in my advanced practice. I would use the concepts presented in theory as a foundation to set goals. A focus on achieving the client’s needs is a basis to improve my performance in nursing care.

References

Ahtisham, Y., & Jacoline, S. (2015). Integrating nursing theory and process into practice; Virginia’s Henderson need theory. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 8(2), 443-450.

Fernandes, B. K. C., Clares, J. W. B., Borges, C. L., da Nóbrega, M. M. L., & de Freitas, M. C. (2019). Nursing diagnoses for institutionalized elderly people based on Henderson’s theory. Revista Da Escola de Enfermagem Da USP, 53. Web.

Gonzalo, A. (2022, July 9). Virginia Henderson: Need theory study guide. Nurseslabs. https://nurseslabs.com/virginia-hendersons-need-theory/#14_components_of_the_need_theory

Masters, K. (2018). Models and theories focused on nursing goals and functions. In J. B. Butts & K. L. Rich (Eds.), Philosophies and theories for advanced nursing practice (3rd ed.) (pp. 954-1015). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Ndiok, A., & Ncama, B. (2018). Assessment of palliative care needs of patients/families living with cancer in a developing country. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences. Web.