Applying Nursing Theory Discussion Parameters: Select One Of
Applying Nursing Theory Discussionparameters: Select one of the following scenarios related to a specific nursing
Choose one of the provided scenarios involving nursing theory application. Analyze the scenario using the specified nursing theory, considering relevant concepts, assessments, and interventions. Post your ideas and responses to two discussion questions based on the readings. Engage with at least two classmates' postings, providing thoughtful reflections and feedback.
Paper For Above instruction
In this paper, I will explore the application of Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory in a clinical setting, focusing particularly on a patient scenario involving an elderly woman and her interactions with her environment, as well as addressing the nursing interventions aligned with Nightingale’s concepts.
Introduction
Nightingale’s environmental theory emphasizes the importance of a clean, well-ventilated, quiet, and well-lit environment for the promotion of health and recovery. This theory underscores the nurse’s role in manipulating the environment to facilitate healing and well-being. Applying these principles in contemporary nursing practice provides a holistic framework to assess and improve patient care, especially in hospital settings.
Scenario Analysis: Elderly Patient and Environmental Factors
The scenario involves an 82-year-old woman hospitalized with a burn injury on her lower leg, living alone without immediate family support. She personally requests her friend’s dog to visit her in the hospital, which the nursing staff has previously declined. According to Nightingale’s concepts, the hospital environment plays a critical role in the patient’s recovery. This includes the physical environment—the cleanliness of the space, light, noise levels, and ventilation—as well as social and emotional stimuli.
Nightingale’s Concepts Applied to the Scenario
Applying Nightingale’s concepts, the nurse’s role includes assessing how the hospital environment affects the patient’s physical and psychological health. For instance, ensuring a clean environment can prevent infections, especially for someone with a burn injury. Adequate ventilation and natural lighting can promote comfort and reduce stress, aiding in healing. Noise levels should be minimized to prevent stress and promote rest, while maintaining cleanliness supports infection control and enhances the patient’s sense of well-being.
Regarding the patient’s request to have her dog visit, Nightingale’s model supports the recognition of environmental and emotional needs. Animals have been shown to promote emotional comfort, reduce anxiety, and improve overall health outcomes. Acknowledging and facilitating such emotional supports aligns with Nightingale’s emphasis on holistic care. Therefore, I would advocate for a compassionate approach, exploring possibilities to allow the patient’s dog to visit safely, while maintaining hospital infection control standards.
Nursing Interventions Based on Nightingale’s Model
Key interventions include maintaining impeccable hygiene and cleanliness, ensuring fresh air and proper ventilation, managing noise levels, and providing adequate lighting. Additionally, facilitating the patient’s emotional needs by supporting her connection with her pet can be integrated into care plans, potentially involving hospital policies on visitation and animal therapy programs.
These interventions align with Nightingale’s thirteen canons, particularly those emphasizing ventilation, light, noise, and cleanliness—factors critical in an environment conducive to healing and recovery for vulnerable patients like the elderly with burns.
Conclusion
Applying Nightingale’s environmental theory in practice emphasizes the importance of a holistic, patient-centered approach. Recognizing the physical environment’s influence on health, especially for elderly patients with injuries, can significantly improve outcomes. The compassionate inclusion of emotional needs, such as pet visits, demonstrates how environmental modifications can promote healing and psychological well-being. Nursing interventions rooted in Nightingale’s model foster a healing environment, reflecting the timeless relevance of her concepts in contemporary nursing practice.
References
- Alligood, M. R. (2018). Nursing Theorists and Their Work (9th ed.). Elsevier.
- Dossey, B. M., & Keegan, L. (2016). Holistic Nursing: A Handbook for Practice (7th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Nightingale, F. (1860). Notes on Nursing: What It Is and What It Is Not. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/notesonnursingw00nigh
- Philip, P. (2017). Applying Florence Nightingale’s theory in nursing practice. Journal of Nursing Care, 6(4), 1-8.
- Tomey, A. M., & Alligood, M. R. (2018). Nursing Theorists and Their Work (9th ed.). Elsevier.
- Watson, J. (2019). Nursing: The Philosophy and Science of Caring (3rd ed.). University Press of Colorado.
- White, J. (2019). Nursing Theories: The Base for Professional Nursing Practice (7th ed.). Pearson.
- Jean Watson’s Theory of Human Caring. (2018). Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(3), 213–222.
- American Nurses Association. (2021). Code of Ethics for Nurses with Interpretive Statements. ANA.
- Benner, P. (1984). From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clinical Nursing Practice. Prentice-Hall.