Nightingale's Nursing theory

HOME

FLORENCE NIGHTINGLE'S NURSING THEORY

Florence Nightingale

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910), considered the founder of educated and scientific nursing and widely known as "The Lady with the Lamp", wrote the first nursing notes that became the basis of nursing practice and research. The notes, entitled Notes on Nursing: What it is, What is not (1860), listed some of her theories that have served as foundations of nursing practice in various settings,including the succeeding conceptual frameworks and theories in the field of nursing. Nightingale is considered the first nursing theorist. One of her theories was the Environmental Theory, which incorporated the restoration of the usual health status of the nurse's clients into the delivery of health care—it is still practiced today. (Wikipedia.org)

4 Metaparadigms (major concepts)

NURSING
What nursing has to do… is to put the patient in the best condition for nature to act upon him” (Nightingale, 1859/1992) Nightingale stated that nursing “ought to signify the proper use of fresh air, light, warmth, cleanliness, quiet, and the proper selection and administration of diet – all at the least expense of vital power to the patient.

HUMAN BEINGS
Human beings are not defined by Nightingale specifically. They are defined in relationship to their environment and the impact of the environment upon them.

ENVIRONMENT
The physical environment is stressed by Nightingale in her writing. Nightingale’s writings reflect a community health model in which all that surrounds human beings is considered in relation to their state of health.

HEALTH
Nightingale (1859/1992) did not define health specifically. She stated, “We know nothing of health, the positive of which pathology is the negative, except from the observation and experience. Given her definition that of the art of nursing is to “unmake what God had made disease,” then the goal of all nursing activities should be client health. She believed that nursing should provide care to the healthy as well as the ill and discussed health promotion as an activity in which nurses should engage.

Environmental Theory Model Explanation

SUBCONCEPTS

Health of Houses:

“Badly constructed houses do for the healthy what badly constructed hospitals do for the sick. Once insure that the air is stagnant and sickness is certain to follow.”

Ventilation and Warming:

“Keep the air he breathes as pure as the external air, without chilling him.” Nightingale believed that the person who repeatedly breathed his or her own air would become sick or remain sick. Nightingale was very concerned about “noxious air” or “effluvia” or foul odors that came from excrement She also criticized “fumigations,” for she believed that the offensive source, not the smell, must be removed. The importance of room temperature was stressed by Nightingale. The patient should not be too warm or too cold. The temperature could be controlled by appropriate balance between burning fires and ventilation from windows.

Light:

Nightingale believed that second to fresh air the sick needed light. She noted that direct sunlight was what patients wanted.

Ventilation and Warming:

“Keep the air he breathes as pure as the external air, without chilling him.” Nightingale believed that the person who repeatedly breathed his or her own air would become sick or remain sick. Nightingale was very concerned about “noxious air” or “effluvia” or foul odors that came from excrement She also criticized “fumigations,” for she believed that the offensive source, not the smell, must be removed. The importance of room temperature was stressed by Nightingale. The patient should not be too warm or too cold. The temperature could be controlled by appropriate balance between burning fires and ventilation from windows.

Noise:

She stated that patients should never be waked intentionally or accidentally during the first part of sleep. She asserted that whispered or long conversations about patients are thoughtless and cruel. She viewed unnecessary noise, including noise from female dress, as cruel and irritating to the patient.

Variety:

She discussed the need for changes in color and form, including bringing the patient brightly colored flowers or plants. She also advocated rotating 10 or 12 paintings and engravings each day, week, or month to provide variety for the patient. Nightingale also advocated reading, needlework, writing, and cleaning as activities to relieve the sick of boredom.

Bed and Bedding:

She noted that an adult in health exhales about three pints of moisture through the lungs and skin in a 24-hour period. This organic matter enters the sheets and stays there unless the bedding is changed and aired frequently. She believed that the bed should be placed in the lightest part of the room and placed so the patient could see out of a window. She reminded the caregiver never to lean against, sit upon, or unnecessarily shake the bed of the patient.

Personal Cleanliness:

“Just as it is necessary to renew the air round a sick person frequently to carry off morbid effluvia from the lungs and skin, by maintaining free ventilation, so it is necessary to keep pores of the skin free from all obstructing excretions.” “Every nurse ought to wash her hands very frequently during the day.”

Nutrition and Taking Food

She noted that individuals desire different foods at different times of the day and that frequent small servings may be more beneficial to the patient than a large breakfast or dinner. She urged that no business be done with patients while they are eating because this was distraction.

GROUP MEMBERS:
Ghraziel Bennysh Lopez
Micheal Oriero
Aminat Owolabi

Reference:

1.)nursing theorist "a compasion to nursing theories and model".(2012, January 31). Retrieved from http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/florence_nightingale_theory.html

2.)Gonzalo, A. Theoretical foundation of nursing. (2011). Retrieved from http://nursingtheories.weebly.com/florence-nightingale.html

3.)Nightingale's environmental theory. (2018). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightingale%27s_environmental_theory