Florence Nightingale: History and Environmental Model

Florence Nightingale: History and Background

• Florence Nightingale was born in 1820 in Florence, Italy.
• Nightingale was a wealthy Victorian lady who was expected to behave in a socially acceptable manner.
• She felt a calling to serve humanity, but this conflicted with societal expectations.
• Despite opposition from her family, she pursued nursing studies in Germany.
• Nightingale’s work in nursing during the Crimean War solidified her legacy as a pioneer of modern nursing.
• She established a school of nursing at St. Thomas Hospital and emphasized the separation and importance of nursing knowledge from medical knowledge.

Nightingale's Environmental Model

• Nightingale believed that a nurturing environment was crucial for healing.
• Her Environmental Theory focuses on how the physical, social, and psychological environment influences a person's health.
• Key environmental factors for the nurse to control include:
  • Cleanliness of rooms and walls
  • Ventilation and warming
  • Light
  • Noise
  • Variety
  • Bed and bedding
  • Personal cleanliness
  • Nutrition and taking food
  • Chattering hopes and advices
  • Observation of the sick
  • Petty management

Use of Empirical Evidence

• Nightingale was a skilled scientist and empirical researcher; she used statistical data to support her arguments.
• Her reports on health and sanitary conditions in Crimea and England are some of her significant research contributions.
• Her work "Notes on Matters Affecting the Health Efficiency, and Hospital Administration of the British Army Founded Chiefly on the Experience of the Late War" provided evidence for her proposed reforms during the Crimean War.

Nightingale and The Nursing Process

• Nightingale's Environmental Theory can be applied within the framework of the nursing process.

Assessment

• Nightingale emphasized two essential behaviors of nurses:
  • Ask clients directly about their needs and desires.
  • Conduct precise and detailed observations of the client's physical health and environment.

Nursing Diagnoses

• Nightingale believed that nursing diagnoses should focus on the client's response to the environment, not the problem itself.
• This highlights the importance of the environment in influencing client health and well-being.

Outcomes and Planning

• Goal was to identify and perform nursing actions to ensure client comfort, dryness, and the optimal environment for healing.
• Planning focused on modifying the environment to support the client's ability to respond to illness.

Implementation

• Nurses modify the environment to influence the client's health:
  • They addressed factors such as noise, air, odors, bedding, cleanliness, and light to ensure a conducive healing environment.
• Nightingale's 13 Canons provided specific guidance for implementing her model in practice.

Critique of Nightingale's Environmental Theory

• Nightingale's work is characterized by its clarity and ease of understanding.

Explore the life and contributions of Florence Nightingale, a key figure in nursing history. Learn about her background, the challenges she faced, and her innovative Environmental Theory that emphasizes the importance of a nurturing environment in healthcare. This quiz will help you understand how her work influences modern nursing practices.