Research Paper On Florence Nightingale

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Introduction Florence Nightingale, who lived from years 1820 -1910, was one of the pioneering theorists in the nursing history. She was the first to provide a theory to improve and develop health and transform nursing from a domestic service to a permanent profession. Since a young age, she cared for the poor and ill people and considered nursing and serving humans as a Christian duty (Selanders, 2012). Her contribution in providing nursing care for British soldiers fighting the Crimean War and negotiating with the male worlds of both the military and medicine with her administrative skills was significant (Woodham-Smith, 1983). Nightingale founded the Nightingale Nursing School in London in 1860 and created the foundation theory for practice and education of the nursing world. She played an important role in promoting nursing as an essential and educational element for public health through her inspiring letters and publications. Theory As the proponent of the first nursing theory, Florence Nightingale gave the Environmental theory that focused primarily on the patients and their surrounding environment. The theory as reflected in the words of Nightingale (1860/1982) states that the major objective of a nurse is to provide their patient the best possible condition for nature to act upon him and the responsibility of reducing noise, relieving patients’ stress and anxieties, and helping them relax and sleep, lies with the nurse. The main theme of the theory was the nurse’s