VIRGINIA HENDERSON

14 Basic Human Needs

Virginia Henderson
 She was born on March 19, 1897.
 A native of Kansas City, Missouri.
 She finished her BS and MA degrees in
nursing education at Columbia University in
New York
 Called the “First Lady of Nursing” and the
“First Truly International Nurse”
 She started to work as a full time clinical
instructor in Virginia at Norfolk Protestant
Hospital
 She died on March, 1996 at the age of 98.
Metaparadigm in
Nursing
 Health
 Viewed health as a quality of life and
is very basic for a person to function
fully
 Gave emphasis in prioritizing health
promotion as more important than
care of the sick.
 Person
 Referred to by Henderson as the patient
and an individual who requires assistance
to achieve health and independence or in
some cases, a peaceful death.
 For the person to function to the utmost,
he must be able to maintain physiological
and emotional balance.
 Environment
 Important for a healthy individual to
control the environment. But in caring
for a sick, it is the responsibility of
the nurse to help the patient manage
his surroundings to protect him from
harm or mechanical injury.
 Nursing
 Henderson asserted that nurses
function independently from the
physician, but they must promote the
treatment plan prescribed by the
physician.
 Another special role of the nurse is to
help both the sick and well
individual.
 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 to
peaceful death) that he would perform
without help if he had the necessary
strength, will or knowledge".
 14 Basic Needs
1. Breathing normally
2. Eating and drinking adequately
3. Eliminating Body wastes
4. Moving and maintaining a desirable
position/postures
5. Sleeping and resting
6. Selecting suitable clothes
 14 Basic Needs
7. Maintaining normal body temperature by
adjusting clothing & modifying the
environment
8. Keeping the body clean and well groomed
9. Avoiding dangers in the environment and
avoiding injuring others
10.Communicating with others in expressing
emotions, needs, fears, or opinions
 14 Basic Needs
11. Worshipping according to one’s faith
12. Working in such a way that one feels a
sense of accomplishment
13. Playing or participating in various
forms of recreation
14. Learning, discovering & satisfying the
curiosity that leads to normal
development of health.
 The Nurse-Patient Relationship
Stated that there are three levels compromising
the nurse-patient relationship:
1. The nurse as a substitute for the patient
2. The nurse as a helper to the patient
3. The nurse as a partner with the patient
 The Nurse-Physician relationship
 Asserted that nurses function
independently from physicians.
 Nurses do not follow doctor’s order;
rather they follow in a philosophy which
allows physicians to give orders to
patients or other healthcare team
members
 References:
 Balita, Carl and Eufemia Octaviano. Theoretical
Foundations of Nursing: the Philippine
Perspective. Ultimate Learning Series. 1998
 George, Julia B. Nursing Theories: the base for
professional Nursing Practice (Fifth Edition)
 Pfetttscher, Susan A. Florence Nightingale
Modern Nursing.
 Udan, Miriam Q. Fundamentals of Nursing