Essay Example on Nursing: Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory

Introduction

Florence Nightingale, in his book entitled "environmental theory" defines nursing as the act or ability of a nurse, clinical technician or a doctor to utilize the concept of environmental nature surrounding the patient's place of residence or work, to decide on the proper treatment plans and diagnostic techniques to apply (Skretkowicz, 2010). The author believes that most disorders are usually linked with environmental problems either directly or indirectly.

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As she was the first ever author of articles in the field or nursing, she needed to elaborate on the specific areas within an environment that the health workers needed to put more stress on, to have the best treatment and care plans for their patients. She then designed the theory and categorized the environmental factors into five major broad categories namely fresh air, availability of pure water, efficient and elaborate drainage systems, general cleanliness of the environment, sometimes referred to as sanitation and lastly the allowance of sunlight entry in the place where the patient is residing (Pirani, 2016).

Fresh Air

According to the nightingale's environmental theory, the nurse should have evaluated Mrs. Adams roof first to ensure that there is ventilation left for the passage of fresh air into the room. This is because Mrs. Adams could have become sick as a result of breathing her air within the house (Pirani, 2016). Allowing for ventilation would allow the environmental air regulated with real nature, to come in hence minimizing the chance of getting infections. Moreover, the apartment for the patient also had three cats and a dog inside, making the air too minimal for the healthy survival of all the four creatures. The patient also complains of a broken air conditioner in her roof; this put her health into many risks. The nurse would then have ample time to diagnose the patient after understanding this component of nightingale's theory.

Pure Water

Pure water is a compulsory requirement for any individual to retain competent and healthy life. Florence states in the theory that most well water however impure, are generally used for domestic works. Domestics may mean cooking, drinking, and washing of both personal utensils and items of clothing. There are thus higher chances that if this particular water becomes contaminated, or an epidemic disease presents its causative germs in the water, then people using the pool will subsequently suffer the same infections.

Using this approach in Mrs. Adams scenario, the nurse should have first considered that the report by the community health officers who highlighted that the patients' clothes appeared to look like unchanged (Pirani, 2016). This was a clear indication of the absence of enough water in the apartment. Moreover, with the high rate of crime prevalence in the patient's area of residence, it is most probable that the many unethical environmental activities are taking place within the region, including improper waste disposal. Furthermore, Mrs. Adams is of lower socio-economic status level and thus can rarely afford to purchase a water tank for sourcing clean water (Skretkowicz, 2010). The nurse should consider these elements of pure water supply as it is an easy and fast way of transmitting diseases.

Efficient And Elaborate Drainage System

As Florence puts it in her book for the "Environmental Theory," that a sewer may sometimes become the significant hotspot for transmitting diseases if correct management measures are not taken seriously. As the report stated that the area where Mrs. Adams was staying was so insecure, and a lot of criminal activities were involved in the region, there are possibilities that they could have destroyed the drainage systems available for controlling the waste in the area. It would then be more appropriate for the nurse to do testing for the possible presence of hygiene-related diseases in Mrs. Adams (Skretkowicz, 2010).

General Cleanliness Or Sanitation

Regarding the issue of general cleanliness, it is necessary to note that, just as nurses and doctors are usually required to ensure that frequently renew the air circulating a sick person, to take away the morbid effluvia originating from lungs and skin, through the process of having many ventilations into the patient's room, similarly it is an crucial aspect to keep pores and skin safe from any obstructing particles (Pirani, 2016). With the home condition of Mrs. Adams, there is a higher probability that the rate of hygiene is meager, thus many diseases causing germs have found their way through the skin. The nurse in doing the first assessment should wash the hands properly to avoid getting in touch with the same.

Direct Sunlight

Sunlight is an essential requirement for healthy living, as noted even with the current nurses. World health organization stated that the lack of sun might lead to vitamin D deficiency. This may prevent bones and other healthy organs from developing and in turn, cause rickets. This is also confirmed in the nightingale's environmental theory (Nordin & Elf, 2019). As a result, the nurse should first ensure that he places Mrs. Adams in a place with ventilation for passage of sunlight into the body. Moreover, the report also states the apartment for Mrs. Adams is also very small and may probably be missing ventilation to let the sunshine in.

Appropriate Plan of Care to Mrs. Adams

To Mrs. Adams, health promotion sometimes referred to as a wellness diagnosis method of care would be the most appropriate care to give the older woman. This would mean that the concern was to first stress so much on the things that Mrs. Adams lacked in the body, for his general body health to come to be in good condition before other diagnostic programs against diabetes and breast cancer could begin (Skretkowicz, 2010). This is because, by, for example, beginning the treatment of breast cancer, when the patient even lacked pure water in her body would seem harmful and Mrs. Adam would possibly collapse in the process of therapy. Allowing her breath freshwater and getting her hygienic and nutritious foods would also help in boosting the immune system of the patient, thus making it possible for Mrs. Adams to withstand the pain quickly and survive in the time of the actual treatment.

Applying Nightingale's Environmental Theory in Obstetrical Nursing

Obstetrical nursing sometimes referred to as perinatal nursing is a specialty in nursing operations that primarily targets the expectant women, those who have delivered and those who are in the verge of becoming expectant (Longo, 2016). Additionally, their programs usually care for the surgical processes in the hospital, not to mention their supervision work for how the patient is cared for in a healthcare setup. In this study, the duty of the obstetricians in supervising for the care granted to Mrs. Adams would be considered (Longo, 2016). However, the theory's approach will be most beneficial to the patients undergoing treatment in health care units because, correct considerations will always be given to each situation, by revealing the origin of the cause of the disorder (Skretkowicz, 2010).

For example, the obstetricians will ensure that Mrs. Adams gets access to the fresh air provided by enough ventilation, regulated warmth to keep the patient warm and her temperature within the standard range, avoidance of funny smell, as these are also the significant aspects considered by Florence while writing her theory (Longo, 2016). By upholding to all this, the method remains so necessary, and therefore patients are advised to visit nearest medical centers whenever they feel unwell so that the technicians and nurses can interrogate on the causes to come out with the appropriate plans for offering care.

References

Longo, B. M. (2016). Leading Environmental Health Awareness to Transform Nursing Practice. Retrieved from https://sigma.nursingrepository.org/handle/10755/603057

Pirani, S. A. (2016). Application of Nightingale's theory in nursing practice. Annals of Nursing and Practice, 3(1), 1040. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/7063/e5c06ac4bfc75587af975a99cdd09275591f.pdf

Skretkowicz, V. (Ed.). (2010). Florence Nightingale's Notes on Nursing and Notes on Nursing for the Labouring Classes: Commemorative Edition with Historical Commentary. Springer Publishing Company. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=453Qk2IpVeYC&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&dq=nightingale,+F.+(1860).+Notes+on+Nursing:+what+it+is+and+what+it+is+not.+London%3B+Harrison,+59,Pall+mall,+bookseller+to+the+queen&ots=93hMSxbXDR&sig=7SJxQUvTaRMPtGgSb_tD6b7n9g0