The two theories for discussion are Virginia Henderson’s Need Theory and Dorothea Orem’s Theory of Self-Care Deficit. Henderson’s theory is rather abstract, and its purpose is to explain the functions of a nurse to respond to a patient’s needs in a wide context. Therefore, the concepts include those associated with the nursing metaparadigm (the person, health, nursing, and environment). On the contrary, Orem’s theory is focused on a patient’s ability to perform effective self-care, and the major concepts include self-care and self-care deficit in addition to the basic ones (Gligor & Domnariu, 2020; McEwen & Wills, 2019). Referring to the concepts, it is possible to compare the theorists’ assumptions. Thus, Henderson believed that nurses should care for patients and serve their needs until they can take care of themselves independently. This assumption is similar to Orem’s one, who believed that a nurse should guarantee that a patient can perform self-care to achieve positive health results.
When discussing the implications, it is important to state that Henderson’s theory covers all the needs of a patient to be addressed to ensure that his or her psychological, physical, and mental health is supported. Orem’s theory explains that patients’ problems with health and their needs for nurses’ assistance can be related to individuals’ self-care deficits (McEwen & Wills, 2019). Both theories address basic notions, and this fact adds reasons for why these models are widely applied not only in studies but also in clinical settings (Gligor & Domnariu, 2020). Thus, the focus is on the simplicity of both theories to be understood and used by nurses when they are interested in providing high-quality care to patients and responding to their specific needs.
References
Gligor, L., & Domnariu, C. D. (2020). Patient care approach using nursing theories-comparative analysis of Orem’s Self-Care Deficit Theory and Henderson’s Model. Acta Medica Transilvanica, 25(2), 11-14.
McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2019). Theoretical basis for nursing (5th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.