The importance of nursing theory for research, education, and practice are great. Every theory of nursing has common concepts, such as the patient as the object of nursing activity; the source of patient problems; the focus of nursing interventions; the goals and methods of care; and the evaluation of nursing outcomes. The interpretation of these concepts and the ways in which they interact with each other vary considerably. In this changing understanding of the concepts, research in nursing has evolved. Their aim is to objectively assess all the changes that are taking place and to choose a path for the development of nursing depending on the objective conditions of human existence and its environment. Depending on the level of concretization and the scope of application of the concepts of the theories, the postgraduate studies are divided into Grand and Middle theories. Some of the most famous scholarly works are the study of Virginia Henderson and Imogene King.
Virginia Henderson was one of the first nurses to attempt her interpretation of nursing after Florence Nightingale. The purpose of her theory was to describe the unique nature of the nursing profession. The researcher succeeded in developing a system in 1958 and laid it out in the form of basic principles of nursing, which serve to guide the nurse in the implementation of nursing care.
Henderson’s theory has had an enormous impact on nursing thinking around the world, and many later models of nursing are based on her work. According to this model, the patient has fundamental human needs that are the same for all people: “Whether sick or well, the nurse must always have in mind the vital human needs for food, shelter, clothing; for love and kindness, for a sense of need and interdependence in social relations” (Finkelman, 2021). W. Henderson cites 14 fundamental needs; they are based on the fact that a healthy person, as a rule, has no difficulty in satisfying these needs. At the same time, during illness, pregnancy, childhood, old age, and approaching death, a person may not be able to satisfy these needs independently.
The nature and manner of meeting these needs will depend on the patient’s wishes, condition, and diagnosis. The approach to the patient in this theory is individualized to the individual, and their loved ones are also actively involved in care. In describing fundamental human needs, W. Henderson refers to recognized psychologists and sociologists. In his work, Jobin points out that Henderson denies a hierarchical approach to the consideration of these needs, as, for example, does Maslow, who has had a great influence on the psychology of nursing (2020). Henderson’s theory is descriptive and normative; she describes human life needs as she thinks they are, and she describes nursing as she thinks it should be. Henderson does not set out to explain why the person has these particular needs or why the interventions described should be considered effective.
Imogen King’s Theory of Achievement has proven to be effective, so it has been included in all textbooks in the field. By putting the concepts developed in this theory into practice, nursing has become much more important in the field of medicine. King defines health as a dynamic cycle of life; hence when health deteriorates, there is an intervention that reduces the quality of life (Wu, 2020). Thus, internal or external changes must be made to help achieve good health, leading to optimal living.
In the field of health and care, Imogene King emphasizes the excellent relationship that must exist between patient and nurse, defining it as a process of action, reaction, interaction, and transaction. Watking, in his article, claims that while this theory encourages the patient to share their perceptions, the burden falls on the nurse, who is responsible for observing all possible information and putting their knowledge into practice to restore the patient’s health (2020). Of course, if the patient’s perceptions and satisfaction are optimal, the goals articulated in King’s theory will be met (Wu, 2020). When there is equality of opinion and feeling, working with patients will be fruitful. In this way, everyone has a role, working together, but everyone takes a different stance (Mcewen & Wills, 2021). It is the nurse who shares her skills and specific health knowledge, and it is the patient who determines how the professional does her job.
Although other theories related to nursing encourage the creation of a bond with patients’ relatives, Imogene King is only about the interaction between the patient and the nurse, sending family members nowhere. Consequently, the definition of nursing that can be drawn from Imogen King’s theory is the study of the behavior and conduct of both parties in order to help the patient regain his or her health so that he or she can return to a normal life. The disease creates a clear interference in a person’s life, and the goal is to remove that interference. Thus, both of the nursing theories analyzed are of the descriptive type, qualitative. The key difference is the scope of application, as Henderson’s theory provides a foundation for organizing nursing activities in terms of all possible aspects. At the same time, Imogene King’s Middle Range theory specifies the goals of the nursing activity.
References
Finkelman, A. (2021). Professional nursing concepts: Competencies for quality leadership. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Jobin, G. (2020). Spirituality in the Biomedical World. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
Mcewen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2021). Theoretical basis for nursing. Wolters Kluwer Health.
Watkins, S. (2020). Effective decision-making: applying the theories to nursing practice. British Journal of Nursing, 29(2), 98–101. Web.
Wu, M. (2020). Theories behind a nursing intern’s error in terms of clinical decision-making. Frontiers of Nursing, 7(3), 209–215. Web.