Theory Development in Nursing

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Introduction

To contribute to a patient’s early convalescence, a nurse should adhere to a specific strategy while caring for a sick person. Although today the necessity of aligning a nurse’s actions with an effective pattern of treatment seems obvious, the situation was different until the 19th century when Florence Nightingale implemented hospital reforms. This paper will consider the role of Nightingale in the formation of the nursing profession, discuss a study based on her theory, and analyze the relationship among theory, research, and practice.

Florence Nightingale’s Role in the Nursing Profession

Florence Nightingale was a nurse caring for soldiers during the Crimean war in 1854-56. However, she was not an ordinary nurse since she aimed to change the established system of healthcare in Britain. The fact is that at the beginning of the 1800s, British hospitals were in a deplorable state. Patients were treated in barracks that were often overcrowded and infested with rats. Besides, nurses received no professional education, and most of them were distinguished by drunkenness and promiscuous sexual behavior. Nightingale decided to struggle with these conditions because she assumed that the environment in which patients were cured had much influence on their recovery process.

Nightingale was also engaged in collecting and analyzing statistics in healthcare. She found out that a considerable part of soldiers died from contagion and diseases rather than wounds because of inadequate sanitary conditions. The collected statistics of death rates among military men helped her to convince the authorities to accept her healthcare reforms. Another Nightingale’s significant contribution was establishing the first nursing school. Thus, Nightingale has played a substantial role in the nursing profession since she proved the necessity of proper sanitary conditions in hospitals, laid the foundation for the education of nurses, and initiated the application of statistics for analyzing medical data.

Research Using Nightingale’s Theory

Nightingale’s theory of environment importance for patient care is applied even nowadays, which confirms its soundness. For example, it was used in the research of Awalkhan who decided to test the theory on a female patient submitted to colostomy (97). After the operation, the patient was kept in a clean ventilated room, was given the prescribed medications, and had her colostomy bag changed. The nurse also took care of the patient’s psychological environment and provided her with a balanced diet.

The application of Nightingale’s theory led to an improvement in the patient’s health. The researcher concluded that this theory is efficient for caring for patients after colostomy (Awalkhan 100). However, two contradictions were found in the model. First, Nightingale suggested that patients should not be disturbed while sleeping, but the researcher argues that nurses have to wake them up for essential night procedures (Awalkhan 100).

Second, Nightingale considered personal qualities of a nurse more significant than education, but Awalkhan states that the nursing profession requires having a proper qualification (100). However, for the most part, this theory is applicable, which is why the researcher chose it for the patient. Awalkhan argues that “Nightingale caring model is functional” because it “fits to the basics of nursing” (100). Thus, this research proves that the environment, especially appropriate sanitary conditions, is indeed essential for patient care.

The Relationship Among Theory, Research, and Practice

Nightingale demonstrated that nursing could not rely only on practice. Awalkhan supports this idea: “Practice without integrating nursing theory is blind” (97). In the nursing profession, research, theory, and practical application are interrelated. Research implies observing implementations of specific procedures and finding a way of improving them. It gives rise to a theory, which then is to be tested in practice. Thus, these three notions interact with each other leading to advancements in the nursing field.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is crucial that nurses should have a theory to guide them through their work. Nightingale’s model is one of the best solutions in this case since it shows concern for patients and the environment around them and has proved its effectiveness over time. Naturally, a nurse may adjust this theory to a specific patient using common sense, as the author of the described research remarked.

Work Cited

Awalkhan, Afsha. “Application of Nightingale Nursing Theory to the Care of Patient with Colostomy.” European Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, vol. 2, no. 6, 2016, pp. 97-101.

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