Fundamentals of Nursing 1st Lecture

Fundamentals of Nursing 1st Lecture

• Lecture given by Dr. Motasem AlDaieflih, RN, MSN, PhD, in 2024/2025 academic year.

Historical Perspective (Beginning of Civilization)

• Theory of Animism: Belief that good and evil spirits affect health and illness.
• Illness caused by sin or displeasure of gods.
• Temples served as centers of medical care.
• Priests acted as physicians.
• Nurses were slaves performing tasks assigned by priests.
• Physicians were medicine men.
• Nurses were seen as women caring for families (nurturing role).

Historical Perspective (16th Century)

• Focus shifted from religion to warfare.
• Knowledge expanded through exploration.
• Nurse shortages led to recruitment of criminals.
• Nursing was viewed as a disreputable profession.

Historical Perspective (18th-19th Century)

• Hospital schools were established.
• Female nurses were controlled by men (hospital administrators and physicians).
• Health care was dominated by males.
• Nursing became a respected profession.
• Modern nursing education methods were developed.

Historical Perspective (World War II)

• Explosion of knowledge in medicine and technology.
• Efforts to improve nursing education.
• Women became more assertive and independent.

Historical Perspective (1950's to Present)

• Healthcare settings diversified.
• Nursing expanded into various areas.
• Nursing grew as a profession.

Nursing Leaders

• Florence Nightingale (1820-1910):
  • Founder of modern nursing.
  • Became a nurse despite societal opposition.
  • Advocated for clean environments and fresh air and light.
  • Believed in formally educated nurses.
  • Saw nurses as client advocates.
• Clara Barton (1812-1956):
  • School teacher who volunteered as a nurse during the American Civil War.
  • Instrumental in establishing the American Red Cross.
• Lillian Wald (1867-1940):
  • Founder of public health nursing.
  • First to offer trained nursing services to the poor.
• Lavina Dock (1858-1956):
  • Participated in women's rights movements.
  • Advocated for nurse control of their profession.

Definitions of Nursing

• Florence Nightingale (1860): Nursing is utilizing the patient's environment to aid recovery.
• Virginia Henderson (1966): Nursing assists individuals (sick or well) with tasks contributing to health or recovery.
• American Nursing Association (ANA): Nursing diagnoses and treats the human response to health issues (actual or potential).

Characteristics of Nursing

• Nursing is caring, an art, and a science.
• Holistic approach.
• Client-centered care.
• Adaptive practice.
• Helping profession.

Recipients of Nursing

• Consumer: Individual, group, or community using a service.
• Patient: Person receiving medical treatment.
• Client: Person seeking advice or services from a professional.

Scope of Nursing

• Nurses provide care to individuals, families, and communities.
• Nursing practice encompasses four areas: promoting health and wellness, preventing illness, restoring health, and caring for the dying.

Promoting Health and Wellness

• Nurses encourage clients to participate in activities enhancing quality of life.
• Examples: improving nutrition, exercising, avoiding smoking, losing weight, preventing accidents.

Preventing Illness

• Maintaining healthy status by preventing illness.
• Examples: immunizations and educational programs (e.g., prenatal care).

Restoring Health

• Focuses on individuals with illnesses, from early detection to rehabilitation.
• Examples: direct care (treatment, medication, baths), performing diagnostic measurements (e.g., blood pressure, glucose), and teaching recovery activities.

Settings of Nursing

• Historically, acute care hospitals were the primary setting.
• Nurses now work in hospitals, homes, communities, agencies, educational settings, and mental health facilities.

Roles and Functions of Nurses

• Caregiver: Assists clients physically and psychologically.
• Teacher: Educates clients about health and procedures for maintaining health.
• Counselor: Assists clients in recognizing and coping with problems.
• Client Advocate: Protects clients' interests.
• Leader: Influences others to achieve goals.
• Manager: Delegates and supervises nursing activities.
• Researcher and Research Consumer: Conducts and utilizes research.
• Communicator: Supports clients through the health team and community.

Professionalization

• Profession: An occupation requiring extensive education, special knowledge, skills, and preparation.
• Professionalization: The process of becoming professional.

Criteria of a Profession

• Specialized education.
• Body of knowledge.
• Ongoing research.
• Code of ethics.
• Autonomy (self-directed independent action).
• Professional organization.

Concept of Health

• No single universally accepted definition of health.
• Nightingale (1969): Health is being well and fully utilizing available abilities.
• WHO (1948): Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not simply the absence of disease.

Components of Wellness

• Physical: Ability to execute daily tasks, maintain fitness, and avoid substance abuse.
• Social: Ability to interact successfully with people and within the environment.
• Emotional: Ability to handle stress and appropriately express emotions.
• Intellectual: Ability to utilize knowledge for personal, family, and career development.
• Spiritual: Belief in a force uniting humans and giving meaning to life.
• Occupational: Ability to maintain work-life balance.
• Environmental: Ability to promote health measures improving quality of life.

Concept of Illness

• Illness is a personal state where functioning (physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental) is impaired.
• Disease is an alteration in body functions reducing capacities or shortening life span.
• Etiology is the cause of illness.

Illness

• Acute illness: Characterized by severe symptoms with a short duration.
• Chronic illness: Characterized by lasting symptoms (more than 6 months).
• Remission: When symptoms disappear.
• Exacerbation: When symptoms reappear.