VIRGINIA HENDERSON

DEFINITION OF NURSING

Evaluator:Mrs.Sunita Sharma
Lecture
Presentor:Ms.Hemlata
MSc.Nsg.1st year
CREDENTIALS AND BACKGROUND
OF THE THEORIST
The Nightingale of Modern Nursing
Modern-Day Mother of
Nursing.
Born in Kansas City,
Missouri, in 1897
She attended the U.S.
Army School of Nursing.

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CREDENTIALS AND BACKGROUND OF THE THEORIST
 
Subsequently, she joined Columbia as a
member of the faculty, where she remained
until 1948.
Her most important writing, Principles
and Practice of Nursing.
Honor Society of Nursing named their
library in honor of her contributions
Died: March 19, 1996

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Sources of Henderson’s definition of Nursing

First, she participated in the revision of a

nursing textbook.
 Second, she was concerned that many
states had no provision for nursing
licensure to ensure safe and competent
care for the consumer.

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Sources of Henderson’s definition of
nursing (contd…)
Official statements on the nursing
function were published by the ANA in
1932 and 1937.
Henderson viewed these statements as
nonspecific and unsatisfactory definitions
of nursing practice.

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Sources of Henderson’s definition of
Nursing cont..
Individual care is evident in that she
stressed assisting individuals.
She proposed 14 components of basic
nursing care to augment her definition.
In 1955, Henderson’s first definition of
nursing was published in Bertha Harmer’s
revised nursing textbook.

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

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.

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Values & Beliefs
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..."

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14 components of Basic
Nursing Care
Breathe normally.
Eat and drink adequately.
Eliminate body wastes.
Move and maintain desirable postures.
Sleep and rest.
Select suitable clothes-dress and undress.

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The 14 components cont..
Maintain body temperature

Keep the body clean

and well groomed and
protect the integument
Avoid dangers in the environment and
avoid injuring others.

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The 14 components cont..
Communicate with others in expressing
emotions, needs, fears, or opinions.
Worship according to one’s faith.
Work in such a way that there is a sense of
accomplishment.
Play or participate

in various forms
of recreation.
.
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The 14 components cont
Learn, discover, or satisfy the curiosity
that leads to normal development and
health and use the available health
facilities
Physiol
ogical

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Major concepts
Patient
Have basic needs that are component of
health.
Requiring assistance to achieve health
and independence or a peaceful death.
Mind and body are inseparable and
interrelated.

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Major concepts cont..
Considers biological, psychological,
sociological, and spiritual components
Environment
Healthy individuals may be able to
control the environment, but illness may
interfere with that ability.
Nurses should protect patients from
mechanical
injury.

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Major concepts cont..

Nurses should minimize the chances of

injury through recommendations
Doctor’s use nurses observations and
judgment as the base their prescriptions
for protective devices.
Nurses must know about social customs
and religious practice to assess dangers.
 

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Major concepts cont..
Health
Health is a quality of life.
Health is basic to human functioning.
Health requires independence and
interdependence.

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Major concepts cont..
Promotion of health is more important
than care of the sick.
Individual will achieve or maintain health
if they have the necessary strength, will or
knowledge.

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Major concepts cont..
Nursing
Temporarily assisting an individual who lacks
the necessary strength, will and knowledge to
satisfy 1 or more of 14 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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Major concepts cont..

The nurse is knowledgeable in both

biological and social sciences.
The nurse function as a member of a
medical team.
Nurse should have knowledge to practice
individualized and human care and should
be a scientific problem solver.”

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Henderson and Nursing Process
Henderson views the nursing process as
“really the application of the logical
approach to the solution of a problem.
“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.”

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Nursing Process Henderson’s 14 components
and definition of nursing
Nursing Assessment Compare data to knowledge base of
health and disease.

Nursing Diagnosis Identify individual’s ability to meet

own needs with or without assistance,

Nursing plan Document how the nurse can assist the

individual, sick or well.

Nursing implementation Assist the sick or well individual to

maintain health or recover from illness
Nursing evaluation 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.

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CHARACTERSTICS OF NURSING THEORY

Theories can interrelate concepts in such

a way as to create a different way of
looking at a particular phenomenon.
 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.

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 CHARACTERSTICS OF
NURSING THEORY cont..
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.
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CHARACTERSTICS OF
NURSING THEORY cont.
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.

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 THEORETICAL ASSERTIONS

 THE NURSE PATIENT

RELATIONSHIP
Three levels comprising the nurse patient
relationship can be identified, ranging from
very dependent to a quite independent
relationship

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THEORETICAL ASSERTIONS
cont..

Partner

Helper

Substitute
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 THEORETICAL ASSERTIONS
cont..
THE NURSE-PHYSICIAN RELATIONSHIP
The care plan, formulated by both the nurse and
patient, must be implemented in such a way as to
promote the physician’s prescribed therapeutic
plan.
Henderson stressed that nurses do not follow
doctor’s orders

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THEORITAL ASSERTIONS
THE NURSE AS A MEMBER OF THE
HEALTHCARE TEAM
The nurse works in interdependence with
other healthcare professionals
Henderson stated no one of the team
should make such heavy demands on
another member

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THEORETICAL ASSERTIONS
cont..

ANAEST PATIENT
NURSE
HETIC NURSE AND
FAMILY
PATIENT
PHYSICI
AND
AN FAMILY
PHYSICIAN

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APPLICATIONS cont..

Practice
The nurse can help the patient move to an
independent state by
Assessment

Evaluation

Planning

Implementati
on
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APPLICATIONS cont..

Provide a rationale for collecting reliable

and valid data about the health status
of clients
Help build a common nursing
terminology to use in communicating with
other health professionals

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 APPLICATIONS cont..
Education
Provide a general focus for curriculum design
3 phases of curriculum development

Patient and
FundamentMeet the
family
al needs needs
centered

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APPLICATIONS cont..

 Research
Research questions arise from each of the 14
components of basic nursing care.
 Henderson concluded no profession,
occupation or industry in this age can evaluate
adequately or improve it practice without
research
 Offer a framework for generating knowledge
and new ideas.

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Strengths

Nursing education has been deeply

affected by Henderson’s clear vision of
the functions of nurses.
It is broad in scope.

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Weaknesses

No concept of the holistic nature of

human being.
Lack of conceptual linkage between
physiological and other human
characteristics.
Lacks inter-relate of factors and the
influence of nursing care.

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References
Ann Marriner Tomey; Nursing Theorists
and their Works; 5th edition; 2002; Page
no.98-107
Malanie M and Evelyn m Willa;
Theoritical basis for nursing; 2nd Ed 2007
page no.137-140
Kozier nad erb’s;Fundamental of
nursing,8th ed;page no.43-44.

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References cont..
Marilyn P; Nursing theories and nursing
practice, 2001, page no.143-149
Anne H and John R; A tribute to Virginia
Henderson; Advances in nursing science; 1996
Sep 19(1) 1-2
Edward j Halloran; Virginia Henderson and her
timeless timings; journal of advanced nursing;
2006 May, page no. 17-24
Excellence in Nursing; American journal of
nursing; 1990 Apr.Page no.76-77
Current nursing.com
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