Florence Nightingale - MOTHER OF MODERN NURSING

Florence Nightingale - MOTHER OF MODERN NURSING

By: Ezra Viktoria R. Haduca

“Lady with the Lamp”

• Place: Florence, Italy
• Birth: May 12, 1820 (International Nurses Day)
• Her father provided her with reputable education which was uncommon for a Victorian woman.
• According to Sir Thomas Cook, she was a linguist.
• She was a wife of an aristocrat.
• She was a Unitarian Christian and believed she had a religious calling. Death: August 13, 1910

First Nurse Educator

• Germany: place of the first nursing school
• Pastor Theodor Fleidner: a protestant pastor who opened a hospital in Kaiserswerth, Germany with no staff thus designed a school of nursing.
• Nightingale applied with a 12-page handwritten curriculum and became the 134 th nursing student to attend the school.
• She developed skills in both nursing care and management and used her gained knowledge as a reformer for the well-being of the citizens.

Crimean War English VS. Turkish

• Hospital barracks were infested with fleas and rats.
• Sewage flowed under the wards
• Mortality rate at the hospital was 42.7% of those treated; higher from disease than from war injuries
• Six months later, mortality rate dropped to 2.2% and was achieved by attending to the environment of the soldiers.
• Heroine in Great Britain
• Awarded with Order of Merit by Great Britain

Writings

• Notes on Matters Affecting Health
• Notes on Hospital
• Efficiency and Hospital Administration of the British Army
• Report on Measures Adopted for Sanitary Improvements in India
• Notes on Nursing

Nightingale’s Environmental Theory

Theory basis : the inter-relationship of a healthful environment with nursing External influences and conditions can prevent, suppress, or contribute to disease or death
Theory goal : Nurses help patients retain their own vitality by meeting their basic needs through control of the environment
Nursing’s Focus : control of the environment for individuals, families and the community


 Nightingale’s Environmental Theory

• The first published nursing theory (1860)
• Persons are in connection with the environment
• Gives emphasis on the healing properties of the physical environment (fresh air, light, warmth and cleanliness)
• Nursing puts patients in the “best conditions” for nature to act upon them Health is “the positive of which the pathology is the negative”
• “Nature alone cures”
• When aspects of the environment are out of balance, the client must use energy to counter these environmental stresses
• Viewed disease as a reparative process
• The health of the home/community are critical components in an individual’s health

Environmental Factors Affecting Health

Ventilation and warmth

• check the patient’s body temperature, room temperature, ventilation and foul odors

Light

• check room for adequate light (sunlight is beneficial to the patient) 
• create and implement adequate light in the room without placing the patient in direct sunlight

Cleanliness

• check and keep room from dust, dampness and dirt

Health of houses

• check surrounding for fresh air, pure water, drainage, cleanliness and light
• remove garbage and stagnant water

Noise

• check and attempt to keep noise level in minimum

Bed and Bedding

• keep the bed dry, wrinkle-free and lowest height to ensure comfort

Personal Cleanliness

• keep the patient dry and clean at all times

Variety

• attempt to accomplish variety in the room

Chattering hopes and advices

• respect the patient and avoid personal talk

Taking food

• document the plan of care and evaluate the outcome to ensure continuity of care

Petty Management

• check the diet of the patient
• note the amount of food and liquid ingested by the patient in every meal

Observation of the Sick

• observe the patient’s environment and record anything about the patient

Metaparadigm in Nursing (PERSON)

• Referred to by Nightingale as “the patient”
• Recipient of nursing care
• A human being acted upon by a nurse, or affected by the environment
• Has reparative powers to deal with disease
• Recovery is in the patient’s power as long as a safe environment exists

Metaparadigm in Nursing (HEALTH)

• Holistic level of wellness that the person experiences
• Maintained by using a person’s healing powers to their fullest extent
• Maintained by controlling the environmental factors so as to prevent disease Disease is viewed as a reparative process instituted by nature
• Health and disease are the focus of the nurse
• Nurses help patients through their healing process

Metaparadigm in Nursing (ENVIRONMENT)

• The foundational component of Nightingale’s theory
• The external and internal aspects of life that influence the person
• Includes everything from a person’s food to a nurse’s verbal and nonverbal interactions with the patient

Metaparadigm in Nursing (NURSING)

• Nursing is essential for everybody’s well-being
• It is having the responsibility for someone else’s health.
• Notes on Nursing : provides women with guidelines for caring for their loved ones at home and gives advice on how to “think like a nurse”

*Trained nurses however, applies additional scientific principles to their work and more skilled in observing their patients.


Acceptance By The Nursing Community

EDUCATION

• Nightingale’s principles of Nursing training provided a universal template for early nurse training school beginning with St. Thomas Hospital

RESEARCH

• Nightingale’s interest in scientific inquiry and statistics continues to define the scientific inquiry used in nursing research.
• Concepts that Nightingale identified served as the basis of research to test modern theories

PRACTICE

• The environmental aspects of her theory (ventilation, warmth, quiet, diet and cleanliness) remain integral components of nursing care.

CRITIQUE

SIMPLICITY

Three Major Relationships:
A. Environment to Patient

• Environment was the main factor creating illness in a patient

B. Nurse to Environment

• Nurses need to manipulate the environment to enhance the patient’s recovery

C. Nurse To Patient

• Suggests collaboration and cooperation between the nurse and the patient

The protection of the patient from emotional distress
Conservation of energy while allowing the patient to participate in self-care


GENERALITY

• Nightingale’s theory has been used to provide general guidelines for all nurses
• The universality and timelessness of her concepts remain pertinent 
• The relation concepts (nurse, patient and environment) are applicable in all nursing settings today

EMPIRICAL PRECISION

• Nightingale’s theory are presented as truths rather than tentative, testable statements
• She advised nurses that their practice should be based on their observation and experiences rather than systematic, empirical research

DERIVABLE CONSEQUENCES

• Deeply religious, she viewed nursing as a means of doing the will of God (Nursing is a divine calling)
• Her encouragement for a measure of independence and precision guides and motivates nurses today as the profession continues to evolve

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