Introduction to Nursing and Florence Nightingale

Nursing

"The unique function of the nurse is to assist the individual, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery (or to peaceful death) that he would perform unaided if he had the necessary strength, will or knowledge, and to do this in such a way as to help him gain independence as rapidly as possible." (Henderson, 1966)

Principle

A statement which shows the relationship between two or more concepts

Concept

Something conceived in the mind (a thought or a notion) May be empirical (observed or experienced through the senses) or abstract (not observable)

Theory

Set of interrelated concepts that give a systematic view of a phenomenon (an observable fact or event) that is explanatory and predictive in nature.

Induction

involves observation and analysis of many instances of a similar event to arrive at a plausible explanation of the phenomena

Deduction

involves the selection and use of existing theories to explain a certain event or phenomena

Nursing Theory

Defined as a belief, policy, or procedure proposed or followed as the basis of action. It is an organized framework of concepts and purposes designed to guide the practice of nursing

Law

The sum total of rules and regulations by which a society is governed. As such, law is created by people and exists to regulate all persons (Guido,

Scientific Law

A statement of fact that aims to explain, in brief and simple terms, an action or set of actions; generally accepted as true and universal

Hypothesis

 A hypothesis is a prediction or a testable statement about the relationship between two or more variables which a researcher aims to test to see if it is supported or rejected (Salustiano, 2009)

Grand Nursing Theories

are abstract, broad in scope, and complex, therefore requiring further research for clarification

Middle Range Nursing Theories

More limited in scope and present concepts and propositions at a lower level of abstraction. They address a specific phenomenon in nursing.

Practice Level

Practice nursing theories are situation-specific theories that are narrow in scope and focus on a specific patient population at a specific

Paradigm

Refers to a pattern of shared understandings and assumptions about reality and the world

Metaparadigm

Person, Environment, Nursing, Health

Epistemology

A branch of philosophy concerned with knowledge's nature and scope. It is referred to as the "Theory of Knowledge," The power of reason and the power of sensory experience.

Florence Nightingale

Mother of Modern Nursing and Environmental Theory

When was Florence Nightingale Born?

May 12, 1820

Year Florence became the Superintendent of the Hospital

1853

Year Florence completed nursing

1851

When Florence Died

August 13, 1910

Nightingale’s Approach to Nursing?

Control the Environment

Environment

Ventilation & warmth, light, noise, variety, bed & bedding, cleanliness of rooms and walls, and nutrition as major areas of the environment the nurse could control

Health of Houses

the presence of pure air, water, efficient drainage, cleanliness, and light.

Ventilation and Warming

Clean air and importance of temperature.

Noise

Patients should never be waked intentionally or accidentally during the first part of sleep.

Variety

Changes in color or form

Bed and Bedding

It remains important for the nurse to keep bedding clean, neat and dry and to position the patient for maximum comfort.

Personal Cleanliness

Every nurse should wash her hands frequently during the day.

Nutrition and Taking Food

Variety of Food and No Business be done with patient while eating.

Chattering Hopes and Advices

False hope is depressing to patients and causes them to worry and become fatigued.

Health

being well and using every power (resource) to the fullest extent in living life.

Disease and Illness

reparative process that nature instituted when a person did not attend to health concerns

Nursing Methods

Scientific methods are used by nurses to ensure the quality of patient care.

Assessment

The nurse gathers information about a patient's psychological, physiological, sociological, and spiritual status.

Nursing Diagnosis

The diagnosing phase involves a nurse making an educated judgment about a potential or actual health problem with a patient.

Planning

Each problem is assigned a measurable goal for the expected beneficial outcome

Implementation

Implementation takes place in the environment that affects the client and involves taking action to modify the environment.

Evaluation

Once all nursing intervention actions have taken place, the nurse completes an evaluation to determine if the goals for patient wellness have been met.