Historical Perspective Essay
Melissa Ortiz- Hernandez
UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX
Analysis of Research Reports
NUR/518
Elizabeth Esterl
April 22, 2013
Historical Perspective Essay Nursing theories guide nursing research, they have been long used and intergraded as part as the nursing profession. The nursing profession, past, present, and future will incorporate research. The way nurses implement nursing care is guided by research. Hospitals implement policies incorporated by nursing theories and research. Many theorists contributed to the practice known as professional nursing. The first professional nurse or noted theorist was Florence Nightingale. She continues to guide research and inspire other theorists. Modern nursing remains to be on the top 10 trusted profession, when it used to be regarded as ignorant and uneducated. Florence Nightingale opened the doors for future researchers and theorists to shape professional nursing.
Florence Nightingale, “the mother of modern nursing” after returning from the frontlines of the Crimean war in 1856, improved the mortality rate by attending the environment (George, 2011, chap. 3). Coming from an influential family and highly educated background, Florence Nightingale used her educated knowledge and collected data from the Crimean War. In 1859, Notes on Nursing was published. It was intended to give hints on nursing, but it became a manual for professional nursing. It emphasized the organization of the environment and the patient (George, 2011). Notes on Nursing brought many concepts to nursing, which include ventilation, warming, hand washing, bed cleanliness, lighting, and noise. Her belief was, “It is the will of the nurse to alter the environment in such a way to obey natural laws, thereby providing the environment in which perfection may be achieved (Selanders, 2010, “p.”83).
Nightingale did not specifically
References: George, J. (2011). In Nursing Theory: the base for professional nursing Practice (6th Ed). Boston: Pearson Education. Selanders, L. (2010). The power of environmental adaptation. Florence nightingale’s original theory for nursing practice. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 28, 81-87.