Page 352 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

NIGHTINGALe, FLOReNCe n 319

unitary field pattern, and research as praxis. “Nightingale schools” could be found in 24
Adults, adolescents, and families were stud- countries on five continents (Donahue, 1996).
ied in community and health care settings. Nightingale has further contributed N
Research conducted in New Zealand, Japan, to nursing by identifying what has become
Iceland, Australia, and Canada supports known as the metaparadigm of nursing:
the universality of Newman’s theory using person, environment, health, and nursing
research as praxis methodology. (Fawcett, 1978). She also established a firm
Newman’s visionary theory of health tradition of basing nursing practice on care-
exemplifies the relationship between theory, fully collected and analyzed data, the fore-
practice, and research. Nursing’s unitary- runner of today’s evidence-based practice
transformative paradigm, the nurse–patient emphasis. Nightingale’s most widely circu-
relationship, and research as praxis provide lated work is Notes on Nursing: What It Is and
direction for contemporary nursing practice What It Is Not (Nightingale, 1859/1969).
and nursing research. Newman anticipated Nightingale’s writings contain a clear
that future nursing education will focus on conceptualization of the client, nursing
helping nurses become creative enquirers and goals, and nursing interventions (Meleis,
transformative learners (Newman, 2008). 2004). The essential concepts she considered
were the patient, the patient’s environment,
Emily J. Fox-Hill and nursing. She defined nursing as putting
Veronica F. Engle “the patient in the best condition for nature
to act upon him” (Nightingale, 1859/1969,
p. 133) through scrupulous attention to “fresh
air, light, warmth, cleanliness, [and] quiet,
NightiNgale, floreNce and the proper selection and administration
of diet” (p. 8). Health was defined as being
“able to use well every power we have to
Florence Nightingale was born on May 12, use” (Nightingale, 1885, p. 1043). Health was
1820, in Florence, Italy, and died on August affected by environmental factors, as well as
13, 1910, in London, england. She is con- by dietary choices and adequate amounts of
sidered the founder of contemporary nurs- exercise (Nightingale, 1863a).
ing and nursing education and an expert Nightingale’s most far-reaching ideas
on health care statistics, hospital design may have been her conceptualizations of per-
and construction, and military health care. sons, their environments, and the interaction
Nightingale’s remarkable success at decreas- between them that affected health. She iden-
ing the death rates during the Crimean War tified persons as having physical, intellectual,
gave birth to legends of the Lady with the social, emotional, and spiritual components
Lamp. Her personal fame was critical to (Nightingale, 1859/1969). Her holistic view of
her ability to gain attention for her ideas, human beings continues to be a hallmark of
including those about the value of nurses. nursing, differentiating it from other health
Nightingale’s birthday is remembered each care professions.
year as International Nurses’ Day, and it She initially came to her beliefs about
is the anchor date for Nurses’ Week in the the environment’s role in health in Scutari,
united States. where she was greeted by filthy conditions
Nightingale’s contribution was the atten- and a high hospital mortality rate. Healthy
tion she brought to nursing education and in hospitals provided sufficient fresh air, light,
developing a system for nursing education and space and subdivided the sick into sep-
that was secular and could be replicated in arate buildings or pavilions. using these
many different places. By the time she died, data, Nightingale laid out detailed plans for