Nursing Need Theory Essay

Nursing Definition, Need Theory, and Care Deficit Theory
Henderson's defines nursing as "the nurse does for others what they would do for themselves if they had the strength, the will, and the knowledge…that the nurse makes the patient independent of him or her as soon as possible. The nurse is expected to carry out a physician's therapeutic plan, but individualized care is result of the nurse's creativity in planning for care. The nurse should be an independent practitioner able to make independent judgments as long as he or she is not diagnosing, prescribing treatment, or making a prognosis, since those activities are the function of the physician” (Petering, Need Theory, 2016). According to Henderson’s theory, “individuals have basic needs

The first is universal self-care requisites, which are needs that all people have. These include things like air, water, food, activity and rest, and hazard prevention. The second is developmental self-care requisites, which has two sub-categories: maturational, which progress the patient to a higher level of maturation, or situational, which prevent against harmful effects in development. The third category is health deviation requisites, which are needs that come up based on the patient's condition. If a patient is unable to meet their self-care requisites, a ‘self-care deficit’ occurs. In this case, the patient's nurse steps in with a support modality which can be total compensation, partial compensation, or education and support” (Petiprin, Dorothea Orem- Nursing Theorist, 2016). Both theories are very similar. They both use a holistic approach of nursing, meaning they both focus on all aspects of the patient’s health. Both theories also focus on letting the patient do as much as they can in the hospital to stay independent and get stronger in the hospital. But if the patient is unable to do something that is required for

He created a triangle of needs, with your basic needs as the foundation, followed by psychological needs, and self-fulfillment at the top of the triangle. According to Maslow, “people are motivated to achieve certain needs and that some needs take precedence over others. Our most basic need is for physical survival, and this will be the first thing that motivates our behavior” (McLeod, 2007). This basically means that if a patient has breathing problems and self-esteem issues, that you will take care of the breathing first then work on the self-esteem issues. The patient cannot live if he/she cannot breathe, but he/she can live with self-esteem issues. The nurse must help the lower level needs before going up levels. Nurses use this idea every day. Nurses must take into consideration all of the patient’s needs, physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization, and decide what order to put everything in which would benefit the patient the most. If a patient has a blocked airway and a wound on their forehead that has minimal blood, the nurse must decide what is more important. In this situation it would be to take care of the airway first then assess the wound. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs help nurses make this