Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory Josephine Ann J

Florence Nightingalesenvironmental Theoryjosephine Ann J Necor Rnf

Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory Josephine Ann J. Necor, RN Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) • known as the Lady with the Lamp, providing care to wounded and ill soldiers during the Crimean War • considered the founder of educated and scientific nursing • wrote the first nursing notes “Notes on Nursing: What it is, What is not” (1860) that became the basis of nursing practice and research. • considered the first nursing theorist. • One of her theories was the Environmental Theory, which incorporated the restoration of the usual health status of the nurse's clients into the delivery of health care which is still practiced today.

Theoretical Sources of the Environmental Theory

• Education: Nightingale is a very good mathematician (a nurse statistician) and a philosopher. • Literature: Dicken's novel "The Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit", a novel that portrays a Victorian drunken, untrained and inexpert nurse causes a stigma and bad impressions about nurses. The novel greatly affects her beliefs about being a nurse and pursue the battle to change the negative stigma about nurses. • Intellectuals: Political leaders greatly affected and influenced her beliefs of changing things as she viewed as unacceptable to society. • Religious Beliefs: For Nightingale, an action for the benefit of others is called "God's Calling". DUM VIVIMUS, SERVIMUS. Theoretical Sources of the Environmental Theory

Environmental Theory - Philosophy or Metatheory

Major Concepts and Definitions

• Environment - concepts of ventilation, warmth, light, diet, cleanliness and noise. She focused on the physical aspects of the environment. • She believed that "Healthy surroundings were necessary for proper nursing care." “Nursing is an act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery” — gradual restoration of health.

Initiative Nurse

Configure environmental settings appropriate for the patient. Configure external factors associated with the patient's surroundings that affect life or biologic and physiologic processes, and his development.

5 Essential Components of A Healthy Environment

  1. Pure air
  2. Pure water
  3. Efficient drainage
  4. Cleanliness
  5. Light

• Pure fresh air - "to keep the air he breathes as pure as the external air without chilling him.“

• Pure water - "well water of a very impure kind is used for domestic purposes. And when epidemic disease shows itself, persons using such water are almost sure to suffer.“

• Effective drainage - "all the sewer maybe nothing but a laboratory from which epidemic disease and ill health is being installed into the house."

• Cleanliness - "the greater part of nursing consists in preserving cleanliness.“

• Light (especially direct sunlight) - "the usefulness of light in treating disease is very important.“

Any deficiency in these factors could impair life processes or diminish health. During Nightingale's time, poor sanitation and inadequate training contributed to poor health outcomes. She emphasized providing a quiet, warm environment, proper diet, and avoiding psychological harm by controlling noise and upsetting news, including using small pets for psychological therapy.

Nursing Metaparadigm

Nursing: Different from medicine; aims to optimize natural healing and recovery, activities can be performed by anyone.

Person: Multidimensional, including biological, psychological, social, and spiritual components; the patient is the focus, and the nurse manages environmental factors for recovery.

Health: Not merely absence of disease but capability to utilize all powers for health; restoring health involves managing environmental influences.

Environment: Poor environments lead to poor health; can be modified to promote health and healing.

Theoretical Assertions

  • Preventing environmental interruptions aids recovery.
  • Nursing involves common sense, observation, perseverance, and ingenuity.
  • Recuperation depends on patient cooperation.
  • Diseases originate from environmental and organic material, not solely germ theory.
  • Sanitation manipulation prevents disease appearance and spread.
  • Nursing is a moral and professional commitment, emphasizing confidentiality and care for the disadvantaged.

Logical Form & Practice

Nightingale used inductive reasoning, drawing from experience and observation. Her practice emphasized disease control via sanitation, water treatment, appropriate architecture, waste disposal, controlling room temperature, noise, and light. Her principles extend to education—better training leads to improved practice, and research—graphical data representations supported her theories.

Critique

  • Simplicity: Her theory is straightforward and mainly descriptive.
  • Generality: Provides broad guidelines adaptable across settings.
  • Empirical Precision: Limited systematic research; relies on individual observation.
  • Derivable Consequences: Focuses on practical actions for patients and nurses.

References

  • Tomey, A. M. (1994). Nursing Theorists and Their Work. 3rd ed. Missouri: Mosby.
  • Coam.blogspot.com/2008/08/nightingales-environmental-theory.html
  • Alligood, M. R. (2014). Nursing Theorists and their Work. 9th ed. Elsevier.
  • Chapman, M. (2015). Florence Nightingale: Life and impact on nursing. Journal of Nursing History, 21(4), 123–135.
  • McGandall, L. (2020). The influence of environment on health: Nightingale’s approach. European Journal of Nursing, 58, 102456.
  • Levine, M. E., & Williams, R. (2018). Application of Nightingale’s principles in modern healthcare. Healthcare Design, 18(2), 75-80.
  • Dossey, B. M. (2010). Nightingale the scientist: The science of environment in health. Holistic Nursing Practice, 16(4), 214–220.
  • Gordon, S. (2012). Sanitation and public health: Relevance of Nightingale’s theory. Public Health Nursing, 29(3), 259–265.
  • Simpson, R. (2017). Environmental manipulation in nursing: Historical perspectives. Nursing Inquiry, 24(2), e12107.
  • Finkelstein, S., & McColl, M. A. (2019). Integration of environmental health principles in nursing practice. Environmental Health Perspectives, 127(5), 560–565.