Virginia Avenel Henderson

(1897-1996)
First Lady of Nursing
First Truly International
Nurse

14 Basic Human Needs

 I believe that the function the nurse
performs is primarily an independent one
that of acting for the patient when he lacks
knowledge , physical strength, or the will to
act for himself as he would ordinarily act in
health, or in carrying out prescribed
therapy. This function is seen as complex
and creative, as offering unlimited
opportunity for the application of the
physical, biological, and social sciences
and the development of skills based on
them.-(Henderson, 1960)
 "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,knowledge and confidence for
the mother,the mouthpiece for those
too weak or withdrawn to speak and so
on."
-Virginia Henderson-
 Henderson's Need Theory emphasizes
the importance of patient independence so
that the patient will continue to progress
after being released from the hospital.
Henderson described the role of the nurse
as one of the following: substitutive, which
is doing something for the patient;
supplementary, which is helping the patient
do something; or complementary, which is
working with the patient to do something. All
of these roles are to help the patient
become as independent as possible.
 While a nurse's job is to care for
patients, it is also to help patients be able to
care for themselves when they leave the
healthcare facility. This will help ensure that
the patient has fewer setbacks during recovery
from the illness or injury, and will help the
transition into self-care be smoother since a
nurse will be helping and supervising along
the way until the patient goes home. For those
nurses who work in rehabilitation, Henderson's
theory is one that can be easily used every
day, and it will be the patients who benefit
from it.
 Overall, Henderson expressed the
view that a nurses role is to follow and
assist with the medical plan of care
outlined by a physician and also to assume
the leadership role of planning and
providing basic nursing care. Nurses are
independent practitioners for providing
appropriate basic nursing care, however,
they should not independently diagnose an
ailment, prescribe medical treatment, or
formulate a prognosis.
 The method by which the nurse
facilitates optimal independence for the
patient varies from patient to patient and is
based on the nurses professional
judgment. Empathy coupled with
knowledge and interest on the part of the
nurse will enhance the healing process. The
overall goal of nursing should be the
promotion of as much independence as
possible for the patient with regards to
Hendersons 14 points.
 The nurse attends to the holistic
needs of the patient through the
educated and emphatic attention to the
14 needs outlined by Henderson. The
nurse is an independent authority on
excellent basic nursing care and also a
vital aide to other practitioners in the
field of healthcare in ensuring the
provision of germane medical treatment
for patients with conditions requiring it.
 The individuals goal and the
nurses goal are congruent. Having
the same goal guides both of them
to the same direction. Health with
the intervention of a nurse has to
be worked out by both the nurse
and patient. An active voice from
the patient leads to successful
nursing.
 The major explicit assumption is
Hendersons contention that the nurse is
an independent practitioner. Although
Henderson implies that a role of a nurse
is to carry out the physicians orders, she
also contends that a nurse is an
independent practitioner. This means
that he/she can initiate some activities
on his/her own. Thus, the nurse can aid
the patient in attaining the 14 needs in
some ways that a physicians order is not
necessary.
 The major explicit assumption is
Hendersons contention that the nurse is
an independent practitioner. Although
Henderson implies that a role of a nurse
is to carry out the physicians orders, she
also contends that a nurse is an
independent practitioner. This means
that he/she can initiate some activities
on his/her own. Thus, the nurse can aid
the patient in attaining the 14 needs in
some ways that a physicians order is not
necessary.
 THE END
THANK YOU
FOR LISTENING
GODBLESS