Nursing theories are important because they act as a mirror for the various realities in the field. There are different theories in Nursing but I have selected the Nursing Need Theory developed and advocated by Virginia A. Henderson. The theory stresses the need of increasing the independence of patients so that the healing process after hospital admission would be hastened. The paper explores some important concepts of the Nursing Need Theory and states the environment where the theory is most suitable for the application.
There are various key points associated with the Nursing Need Theory. The theory addresses four main concepts namely; individual, health, environment, and nursing. From the individual perspective, Henderson emphasizes that individuals have basic needs that are essential for health and well-being. Individuals, especially the patients must be assisted to achieve health and independence or a peaceful death. According to Henderson, one of the crucial elements for assisting the clients is through creating a conducive environment, a supportive one for healing. From the health perspective, Henderson asserts that nurses are the key elements for promoting health and preventing diseases. A person achieves good health when he is able to carry out activities without being assisted.
The Nursing Need Theory would be most relevant in nursing wards. The patients in the wards require a conducive environment and independence so that the hospitalization process would not be delayed. It is quite easy to meet the basic needs of the patients in nursing wards including maintaining a supportive environment geared towards achieving holistic health. These are some of the things advocated by Henderson. One major assumption of this theory intrigues me “Nurses care for patients until the patients can care for themselves once again.” I am interested in applying this theory in my field of practice because my desire is to see the sick regain their health in the soonest way possible so that they can be able to take care of themselves without any assistance.
