Nursing Theory Comparison

Nursing Theory Comparison
Brittany Farris
West Coast University
NRS 500
October 11, 2020
Nursing Theory Comparison
Introduction
Nursing theories reflect the needs of nurses at the time of their development. They explain the nurses’ role in creating an environment where there is a high likelihood of optimizing patient output. Virginia Henderson, between 1955 up to 1966, came up with a nursing theory heavily borrowing concepts from the Abraham Maslow hierarchy of mass needs; thus, a nurse competency gets shaped universally depending on the patient’s requirement to attain independence. She wanted to define nursing as a separate discipline with its philosophical underpinnings distinct from other medical health disciplines. However, from Henderson’s theory, the synergy model was developed, and it emphasized the importance of the cordial relationship between the patient and the nurse in enhancing achieving patient needs. Usually, integrating the nursing theories into real-life practice is a challenge to many nurses. As a result, this essay presents a nursing theory comparison between the Virginia Henderson nursing theory and the synergy model in terms of their philosophical underpinnings, significant assumptions, concepts, and their clinical application.
Background to Virginia Henderson’s Theory
According to a nursing theory by Virginia Henderson, a nurse’s core duty is to create an enabling environment where the patient can gain independence. Therefore, the nurse should empower and prepare the patient for life after discharge from the hospital. In her argument, she listed 14 components of the areas cutting across physiological, social, spiritual, and psychological dimensions where the nurse should assist the patient. In other words, the nurse plays three significant roles in a patient’s life as; a substitute where they do responsibilities that otherwise a healthy patient would do on their own, supplementary, or works in a complementary mode where they work in solidarity with the patient.
Background to Synergy Model Theory
Whereas the Synergy model stresses that patient and their family needs contribute to universally shaping the nurses’ competencies. In other words, there should be a cordial relationship between the patient and the nurse to enhance the nursing practice in achieving optimal patient outcomes. The relationship should be mutual, where both play their genuine part in achieving the common medical goal of enhanced service to the patient. Therefore, the nurse is a professional who must devise ways of bonding with the patient to enhance open conversation where there is a positive feedback mechanism. The patient can only open up when there is a sense of involvement and compassion from the nurse in charge.
Philosophical Underpinnings of Virginia Henderson’s Theory
Henderson’s theory anchors in four major concepts: the individual, environment, health, and nursing. Consequently, the individual possesses those 14 needs that are essential for good health. Since the individual cannot attain all the basic requirements, there is a need for assistance to regain their ability to act independently to acquire the necessities. The individual possesses a mind ...