Florence Nightingale Environmental Theory

1 Theory Application Paper: Florence Nightingale Environmental Theory June 26, 2022 2 Theory Application Paper: Florence Nightingale Environmental Theory Nursing theory and nursing practice have always been integrated. The nursing profession is based on the theoretical framework of many research types and formulated theories. Establishing your practice on nursing theories demonstrates how it prompts the nurse to look for the why of their care and practice (McEwen & Ellis, 2019). One of the most significant benefits of nursing theories is the knowledge that applies to their practice. This knowledge propels the nurse to have better patient outcomes, learn interventions to prevent a situation from worsening and helps with continuing education. Because there is so much to learn in nursing and the population ages and develops, it is necessary to continue studying theories that lead to more vital clinical skills and decision-making (Bertero, 2010). Florence Nightingale’s Environmental Theory has proved that despite being developed in the 1800s, the theory is still applicable to today’s nursing practice regardless of the evolution of nursing. This paper aims to briefly describe Nightingale’s theory, how it can be applied to a specific nursing unit such as medical-surgical, and potential barriers to implementation. Theory Description Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory puts the patient at the center of focus (Zborowski, 2014). This theory describes how the environment plays a significant role in the outcome of the patient’s well-being, along with the nurse aiding in ensuring an optimal environment. Nightingale’s theory is considered a middle-range theory since it can be applied to multiple practice areas and is patient-centered. Part of Nightingale’s theories includes multiple concepts regarding external and internal factors affecting the patient’s environment. Internal factors include ventilation, food, water, toileting, and the patient’s medications. External factors include noise, lighting, the temperature of the room, and the cleanliness of the room. Other concepts included in this theory are the nurse, the patient, the environment, and the patient’s 3 health. All these encompassed rely on the nurse to manipulate the patient’s atmosphere for a positive outcome and encourage the patient to participate in their care (Wasaya et al., 2021). The essence of this theory is to highlight how patient safety and maintenance are imperative to imply in the nursing practice. Such basic things as hand hygiene, proper hygiene for the patient, and nutrition contribute to quality patient care that is still relevant in modern-day nursing. Rationale Because the nursing profession includes holistic patient care and providing individualistic care to all patients, Nightingale's theory specifies how the patient is the central focus of all care. The nurse will most likely improve the patient's outcome based on numerous research behind this theory and its relevance to today’s nursing practice. Changing the patient’s environment helps put the patient in a better mood and motivates them to support the nurse improve their health. Poor environments contribute to poor health and lead to a negative outcome for the patient (Selanders, 2010), which is why being well knowledged in Nightingale’s environmental theory aids in many nursing practices, including med-surg. Many patients admitted to the medsurg unit are primarily seniors, and many need help with one thing that affects their health. Implementation Plan Implementing this theory into the med-surg unit is essential to convey. To do this, nurses can team up with the other healthcare workers on the unit assigned to their patients. For example, a patient admitted to the unit goes through a nursing head-to-toe assessment, and two pressure ulcers are identified on their sacrum and upper back. The patient looks disheveled and ungroomed and hasn’t eaten anything in a few days. Other external factors affect the patient’s well-being that may be beyond the nurse’s control. These factors combined hinder the patient 4 from progressing forward in ideal health. Reflecting on Nightingale's theory, the nurse can alleviate this situation by collaborating with the wound nurse, CNA, and the dietary services to address each significant problem affecting the patient. The nurse can help the patient by addressing multiple issues affecting the patient’s health; getting the client into clean and fresh clothing, obtaining a diet order, and receiving wound dressing orders aid in achieving an optimal health status for the patient. Still, while the patient is in the immediate care of the nurse, all their needs are prioritized to make them as comfortable as possible and be in a conducive environment. Barriers to Implementation One potential barrier to implementing this plan is that the unit may be short-staffed, making it a little harder for the nurse to attend to all the needs that the patient may lack. Another potential barrier is that the patient may be resistive to care, which would impede the patient’s flow to good health outcomes. Lastly, lacking knowledge of this theory can cause a barrier to deliver care. Ways to amend these issues include hiring more nursing staff, including CNAs because they help make the job easier for a nurse when many needs cannot be accomplished by the nurse alone. Developing a trusting therapeutic relationship with the patient can help identify the issues that may prevent the patient from being receptive to care and addressing such issues. Finally, suppose more facilities include theory courses into their module learning for the job. In that case, this will refresh the nurse and other healthcare providers’ knowledge of nursing theories applicable to their practice, specifically Nightingale’s theory for the med-surg example mentioned previously. Conclusion 5 To summarize, nursing theory is the foundation of nursing practice. Many theories that were researched and developed many years ago are still applicable to modern-day nursing. The pioneer of nursing theory, Florence Nightingale, elaborated on her environmental theory. This theory discusses the benefits and importance of the patient’s environment and how it directly affects their health. The nurse-patient relationship is critical to maintaining because they help control the patient’s atmosphere making it favorable for the client. Potential barriers can impede this theory from being implemented, such as the patient’s cooperation, nursing shortage, and lack of knowledge of the theory. This can be combated by including refresher mini-courses on theories applicable to specific nursing practices, hiring more nursing staff and aides, and developing a trusting relationship with the patient to decrease their anxiety and increase their willingness to participate.