Nursing has had challenges since the beginning. The challenges included lack of knowledge to treat diseases and injuries. As generations progressed, the environmental conditions have improved and provided effective and efficient conditions that provide good conditions for treatment (Miller, 2009). Other complexities that faced nursing practice in the past-included societal acceptance of nursing as a discipline, educational, regulatory disarray and gender discrimination. All these factors have created a complicate history for nursing but various people have contributed to this important profession of providing care.
During the 19th century, Florence Nightingale because of her profound vision and religious convictions of the potential of nursing made a change in nursing from being a domestic service to a profession that people could take it like any other profession. She utilized her personal motivation, available opportunities, intellect and her own strength as a woman to create the permanent transformation in nursing profession.
Florence Nightingale was a second born in a family of two daughters. She was born on May 12, 1820. She displayed learning abilities and exceptional intellect during her young years.She liked solitary activities of writing and reading journal in attempts to discern her purpose in life. Her convictions made her believe that she had God-given purpose in making the life of humankind better but she did not know the route yet. She loved meaningful work, started to care for others, and defied the wishes of her parents to marry from a well of family. By the time she was 18, Florence nightingale had known that her Christian duty was to serve humankind. She chose nursing to fulfill the purpose of nursing. She served in various capacities that allowed her to experience and understand the components of nursing, personnel administration and hospital design. It made her to have a strong perception that nursing ought to have a formalized education curriculum to prepare nursing to take greater roles after clearing the education.
Florence Nightingale offered services in Harley Street in London. She served in this hospital in the year 1852 for twelve months. She was nominated to lead a group of thirty-eight women to go to Turkey (Lambert, 2011). They went there to provide nursing care to soldiers that were fighting in the Crimean war. Nightingale motivation was to provide and improve the plight of the wounded soldiers. Her administrative skills allowed her to improve the delivery of nursing. She solved issues of supply, resolved squabbles between different nursing factions and she had a chance to design care modalities.
Florence Nightingale came up with a theory of environment manipulation. According to Nightingale, the environment is a very significant component in nursing. Nightingale established several factors that nurses can influence and control to prevent disease and injury (Kim, 2010). The environment can promote health if carefully controlled. Nightingale believed that the environment and the patient had to have a balance in order to maintain health.
Florence Nightingale came up with the environmental theory that focused on taking care of the environment of the patient for the purpose of achieving health goals and curing illnesses (Nightingale, 2010). The theory has assumptions that it takes into consideration. The assumptions include:
Nursing is a calling
Nursing is a science and an art
Environment alteration achieves nursing
Nursing requires education as a foundation
Nursing is distinct from medicine
Natural laws
Human beings have the ability of achieving perfection
Florence Nightingale identified various environmental factors that affected the health status of humans. The factors include pure water, fresh air, food supplies, environment, light and drainage. All thefactors must exist in order to ensure good health. Nurses have a role to play in ensuring that the conditions are optimal. Nurses have a role to ensure that the conditions are optimal for the patient’s body to heal itself (Nightingale & McDonald, 2008). The nurse must provide a special diet to ensure that the body of the patient gets the necessary nutrients for healing process. Light must be optimal to promote health and healing. All the factors are under the nurses’ abilities to manipulate to help the patient meet the health goals and become healthy.
The theory by Florence Nightingale is a patient care theory. It focuses on the care of the patient and not the nursing process. It specifies the relationship between the nurse and the patient. The model must have changes in order for adaptation to the individual needs of the patient. Different environmental factors affect different patients in their situations and illnesses (Butts & Rich, 2011). The nurse has a duty to ensure streamlining of the factors according to the specific needs of the patient. The nurse must alter the factors to fit the needs of the patient.
The major concepts that the environment theory consists include:
Ventilation and warming: the environment that the patient lives must provide sufficient free flow of air and warmth that the patient requires. Air and warmth are important factors that contribute to the healing process of the patient.
Light and noise: the nurse has duty to ensure that the patient gets sufficient light and that the patient is in an environment that has no noise. Noise can disturb the patients healing process.
Cleanliness of the area: the area where the patient lives should always be clean. Cleanliness promotes quick healing. It is the responsibility of the nurse to ensure a clean environment for the patient.
Health of houses: the houses that patients reside must support the healing process of the patient. The house must not have foul smell and any other factor that will impede the healing of the patient.
Bed and beddings: the bed of the patient must suit the patient. The bed must offer comfort. Different patients have needs for example an old person requires a bed that does not offer difficulties in climbing(Zaccagnini& White, 2011). The beddings of the patient should be changed on a regular basis.
Personal cleanliness: it is the duty of the nurse to ensure that the patient is in a clean shape at all times. The nurse has to provide cleaning material to the patient and organize timings that the patient should bathe.
Offering advice and hope: nurses have a role in offering hope and advice to the patient. The nurse should comfort patients by telling them comforting words. Nurses spend most of their time taking care of their patients (Meleis, 2011). They should utilize the time offering hope over the illnesses of patients and give them advice on healthy living.
Observation: nurses can observe all the signs and symptoms of disease in the patient during their stay with the patient. The nurse has a role to play in observing the symptoms of disease and pain in the patient (Dossey & Keegan, 2013). after noting the signs and symptoms through observation, the nurse must act by providing appropriate care.
Florence Nightingales Modern nursing theory has greatly influenced delivery of nursing care because it allowed formulation of standards that improved the overall care of patients. She was the first to advocate for nursing education and training.
References
Butts, J. B., & Rich, K. L. (2011). Philosophies and theories for advanced nursing practice. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Dossey, B. M., & Keegan, L. (2013). Holistic nursing: A handbook for practice. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Kim, H. S. (2010). The nature of theoretical thinking in nursing. New York: Springer Pub. Co.
Lambert, A. D. (2011). The Crimean War: British grand strategy against Russia, 1853-6. Farnham, Surrey, England: Ashgate.
Meleis, A. I. (2011). Theoretical nursing: Development and progress. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Miller, C. A. (2009). Nursing for wellness in older adults. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Nightingale, F. (2010). Notes on nursing. Lexington, KY: ReadaClassic.com.
Nightingale, F., & McDonald, L. (2001). The collected works of Florence Nightingale. Waterloo, Ont: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
Nightingale, F., & McDonald, L. (2008). Florence Nightingale and the foundation of professional nursing. Waterloo, Ont: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.
Zaccagnini, M. E., & White, K. W. (2011). The doctor of nursing practice essentials: A new model for advanced practice nursing. Sudbury, Mass: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. Bottom of FormBottom of FormBottom of Form
