Florence Nightingale Research Paper

Florence Nightingale the First Nursing Theorist

Stephen R. Todd

Central New Mexico Community College

Florence Nightingale the First Nursing Theorist

Florence nightingale, one of the most well-known nursing theorist, has made nursing the esteemed profession it is today. According to Potter and Perry (2017) she is considered as being “the founder of modern nursing”. Florence Nightingale’s theory, which is the modifying of a patient’s environment, to promote improved healing outcomes, is still used today, over a hundred years past her death. Most of Florence Nightingale’s theory is sound, yet there are some flaws. With today’s scientific understanding of the disease process and today’s difference in social constructs, this theory

Nightingale’s theory included ventilation so that patient air was not stale or of malodor. Fresh patient water so medical staff would wouldn’t use dirty or stale water that could worsen a patient’s condition. Nightingale concluded that effective waste drainage could also improve patient results. She observed cleanliness as an important aspect of nursing. When she first arrived at the Crimean War she noticed that hygiene not being observed in the barracks where the injured were being treated (Schmalbach 2015). According to Schmalbach (2015) the lack of cleanliness caused infection and mortality rates to be 42%. Florence Nightingale saw that the Crimean War field hospitals were void of light so she proposed that direct sunlight be allowed in; it was witnessed that patients had better results when exposed daily to sunlight. Nightingale believed that the nurse was to be a woman and obedient to the doctor at all

Fresh ice and water are provided every shift because we now know that dirty stale water may have harmful bacteria growing in it. Hand hygiene is required before and after entering each patient’s room. Drainage systems are in place to ensure that patients are not being exposed to dangerous bacteria. Cleanliness is kept up so that disease carrying vermin can’t run rampant. Patients are now exposed to sun because science has found that sunlight is essential for vitamin D and calcium absorption. The modern nurse may be female or may be male, but they are all held accountable and not just subservient to the doctor.

Conclusion

Florence Nightingale may have helped shape nursing into the profession it is today. Her theory of environmental manipulation may have formed the standard of nursing care. Today there are new findings in science and better ways to fight bacteria and disease. Social constructs have also changed. Nightingale’s theory and ideas if introduced today may not prevail in our modern evidence based multicultural, co-gender healthcare system.

References

Potter, P.A., & Perry, A.G. (2017). Nightingale’s Environmental Theory. Fundamentals of Nursing(9th ed.).,