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Virginia Henderson's Theory

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Virginia Henderson’s

“Basic Principles of Nursing”

I. Introduction

“The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or peaceful death) that he/she would perform unaided if he/she had the necessary strength, will or knowledge. And to do this in such a way as to help him/her gain independence as rapidly as possible (Virginia Henderson, 1961).”

Henderson's work is widely used by nurses in different nations because of its practicality and realistic application in nursing practice. The nursing assessment, diagnosis, plan and evaluation parallels the doctors' general decision-making processes.

Relevance

Henderson’s work is essential to clinical nurse today. With the major shift in emphasis of nursing care today, nurses should be able to use Henderson’s model in caring for the patient. The patient’s ability to perform the 14 basic human needs should be assessed before considering the kind of care function to administer. It is essential to determine if one will be performing as a helper, a doer, or substitute, or a partner. Nursing interventions are implemented according to the 14 basic human needs of the patient. The degree of performance, involvement of the patient and level of the nurse activity will be dependent on the specific role the nurse will be playing.

Objectives:

After the completion of the discussion, the graduate student shall have:

➢ Acquired knowledge and understanding of the development of Henderson’s theory

➢ Defined Henderson’s theory

➢ Related the conceptual framework to the current clinical setting

➢ Identified and enumerated examples of application of Henderson’s theory in clinical practice

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