Historical and Contemporary Nursing Practice Quiz

Historical Perspectives of Nursing

• Nursing practice has undergone dramatic changes in response to societal needs and influences, shifting from supernatural beliefs to a scientific basis through research and evidence-based practice.
• The struggle for autonomy and professionalization in nursing has been shaped by training and education.

Women's Roles in Nursing

• Traditionally, women's roles in society have been associated with care and nurturing of family members, often in a subservient and dependent role.
• Christian values, such as self-denial, spiritual calling, and devotion to duty and work, have influenced the development of nursing as a profession.

Ancient Civilizations and Nursing

• In early civilizations, mother-nurses worked alongside priests to provide care.
• In ancient Greece, temples were built to honor Hygiea, the Goddess of Health, and health spas were established.
• During the Roman Empire, Fabiola, a wealthy Roman matron, used her wealth to provide houses of care and healing for the poor, sick, and homeless.

Nursing During the Crusades and Medieval Period

• The Crusades saw the establishment of orders of knights, such as the Knights Hospitalers, Knights of Saint Lazarus, and Teutonic Knights, who provided nursing care to sick and injured comrades and built hospitals.
• In the medieval period, religious orders of men, like the Alexian Brothers, provided care to the sick and injured.

Nursing During the War Era

• The Crimean War (1854-1856) highlighted the need for adequate care to soldiers, leading to the establishment of hospitals and the provision of nursing care.
• The American Civil War saw the emergence of notable nurses, including Florence Nightingale, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mother Bickerdyke, Clara Barton, Dorothea Dix, Walt Whitman, and Louisa May Alcott, who contributed significantly to the care of soldiers and civilians.

Key Figures in Nursing

• Florence Nightingale: recruited contingent of female nurses and established sanitation practices in military hospitals.
• Harriet Tubman: provided care to people, helped them escape from slavery, and worked with the Underground Railroad.
• Sojourner Truth: worked as a nurse and counselor for the Freedmen's Relief Association after the war, advocating for abolition and women's rights.
• Mother Bickerdyke and Clara Barton: cared for injured and dying soldiers.
• Dorothea Dix: served as the Union's superintendent of female nurses.
• Walt Whitman and Louisa May Alcott: volunteered as nurses to care for injured soldiers.