The Application of Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory NUR 501
Chamberlain School of Nursing
Application of Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory
The environment theory of nursing is a patient-care theory. The delivery of patient centered care is the best delivery of care a patient can receive. Applying Nightingales environmental care theory of manipulation of the patient environment can affect the patient and assist in the delivery of quality of care. The concept of a clean patient environment has an effect on the patient’s recovery and the prevention of spread of diseases (Harvard Libraries, 2012). Using Florence Nightingales environmental theory and concepts will give a better understanding of how the elements of the environmental care theory can be used to change nursing practice and the use of evidence to better explain the phenomenon of the manipulation of a patient care environment (Nursing Theory, 2011). As nurses become more informed about the environment as a determinant of human health, theory they will be able to be an informed and be empowered to advocate on environmental conditions that promote health. This article provides both theoretical and practical perspectives to integrate environmental concerns into nursing practice. Florence Nightingale a nursing theorist (1820-1910) upon serving as a nurse in the Crimean war, nightingale noticed the conditions in which the soldiers cared for were in unsanitary conditions, and the soldiers were exposed to all kinds of opportunistic diseases (Tomey, 2006). Because of her good efforts to improve the conditions of the solders environment to recover in, the royal family had given her funds in recognition of this work which she intern opened a nursing school to teach nursing as a vocation (Toomey, 2006). Nightingale’s work included the premise that diseases were reparative with a process that the environment plays a big part in recovery or decay (Toomey, 2006). Although Nightingale had been ridiculed for assuming the germ theory and the concept of contagion through contamination, today her theory prevails in health care around the world 9Tomey, 2006). This paper will explain Nightingales theory of environment and environment manipulation and how important it is in every day nursing practice and process, examples will be illustrated and how the theory is applied to patient care in the inpatient setting and leadership ensuring quality of care based upon environmental theory, this paper will also point out the importance that nurse and leaders have on manipulation of the environment based on the environmental care theory.
Application of Environmental Care Theory in Nursing Florence Nightingale set the standards for a patient care environment, the five essentials such as air, water, drainage, cleanliness and light are the basic concepts that are part of everyday living (McRae 2007).Ensuring patients have these essentials as an inpatient and in the community is a concept that the nurses take on of their patients, the premise of Nightingales theory is that she believed that nurses should provide healthy surroundings to provide proper nursing care (McRae, 2007). According to Nightingales witting; the ten major concepts of the environment theory, also identified as Nightingale's Canons, are; (Harvard Libraries, 2012). 1.
Ventilation and warming
Light and noise
Cleanliness of the area
Health of houses
Bed and bedding
Offering hope and advice
Nightingales nursing metaparagram includes nursing, that is essential for a person’s well being, the person is the patient and the focus should be put on the environment, health is the state of the well being of the person and that people are effected by their environment (Tomey, 2006). ). Using Florence Nightingales environmental theory and concepts will give a better...
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