Henderson's Definition of Nursing is still directly applicable to professional nursing today. Nurses function to assist patients in activities of daily living, especially those who are incapable of doing so because of a debilitating condition.

The 14 Fundamental Needs described by Henderson, has been very influential in the practice of nursing. It is very evident in the clinical settings how the nurse carries the tasked to assist the client in meeting his or her needs - may it be physical, social, emotional or spiritual by addressing the patient’s ability to breath normally, eat and drink adequately and eliminate body wastes as primary concerns that the nurse should address.

The devotion of nurses in the actual practice of 24hour – 7days a week reflects its incomparable value in task performance for it is the goal of nursing to promote a higher level of client dependence. But in the event that they still lack the strength and knowledge, nurses act as a temporary proxy in helping them meet their needs that neither the client nor the family can provide.

With the increasing incidence of stroke who’s suffering from disabilities including paralysis, the forth activity of “moving and maintaining desirable posture” for patient’s assistance can contribute to prevention of further bedsore and its complications. The paralyzed patient in the hospital primarily needs the nurses’ assistance in moving about and assuming various positions in the bed. While the patient remains helpless as to movement, the nurse aids the patient with the use of her knowledge and skills. Through turning patient to sides, chest tapping and the likes, pneumonia and pressure sores could be a distant possibility. Furthermore, during the whole hospitalization process, the nurse not only assists the client with mobility but also educates the client and the family as well. Through that, patient independence will be promoted as the client gains the strength and ability to perform activities of daily living. The family, too, acquiring knowledge in the care of a family member with disability can take on the challenge of caring and assisting the client at home after being discharged from the hospital.

Breathing is vital and Henderson’s first basic need of breathing normally is at most assessed at all times. Administration of oxygen should be given accordingly. Her application on nursing gives assertion to initiate immediate provision of biological needs such as nasogastric tube insertion for feeding to maintain nourishment, while catheterization is suggested for patients requiring general surgeries to help them excrete waste while on the process of inability to do it consciously.

Meeting the 14 fundamental needs of the client has been a great basis to further improve our performances towards nursing care. It has been the day-to-day components of delivering nursing care core from infancy to senescence.

She further elaborated that the mind and body is inseparable and comprised as one entity. Her patient-centered theory stressed the importance of the nurse's relationship to the patient and the development of nursing practices. As a direct care giver, it will be rewarding to see the patient as he progresses to independence. The promotion of assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of the 14 components of basic nursing as a core basis should be considered at all times.

Henderson’s designed three phases of curriculum in her book “The Nature of Nursing: A Definition and Its Implications for Practice, Research and Education”. It implies that students should progress through in their learning. The focus in all three phases remains the same – assisting the patient when he needs strength, will or knowledge in performing his daily activities or in carrying out prescribed therapy with the ultimate goal of independence. Furthermore, these three phases of curriculum emphasized the importance for the students to be involved in the complete study of the patient and all his needs. She also stressed the importance of having nursing students to develop a habit of inquiry; take courses in biological, physical, and social sciences and in the humanities; study with students in other fields, observe effective care, and give effective care in a variety of settings.

According to Henderson, Nursing is a universal occupation and a higher education allows us to do it better. She emphasized, which all of us strongly agrees, that education will bring forth the advance knowledge and gained more confidence to act independently with unique skills and mastery. Since the patients presents with problems of greater complexity, it is through advance study that we can explore the in depth understanding of illness complexities and its management to modify the nurse’s care plan.

Henderon's theory on the Definition of Nursing and each of the 14 fundamental components for basic nursing care arose research questions, where nurse’s function to assume responsibility for identifying problems, for continually validating our functions for improving the methods we use and for reassuring the effectiveness of nursing care as well. Maximizing the utilization of different resources of knowledge from the libraries are encouraged to be used.

She concluded that, “No profession, occupation or industry in this age can evaluate adequately or improve its practice without research”. Her strong advocacy for nursing brings forth a challenge to all of us to identify new needs beyond the 14 she enumerated. Henderson’s believe that research in nursing is essential for nursing practice in the age of technological advancements.

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