Florence Nightingale Environmental Theory
Considered the pioneer of nursing theory, Florence Nightingale (1820-1910) compiled notes on nursing, creating the foundations for nursing research and practice. In these notes, she put forth the Environmental Theory, which stressed the use of environment to assist patient recovery.
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External Factors
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With regard to a nurse’s responsibilities of patient care, Nightingale defined a set of external factors in the patient’s environment that must be controlled: fresh air, clean water, adequate food supplies, drainage, cleanliness and sunlight. The omission of any of these factors can retard, if not impede, the recovery process.
Additional Factors
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Given that hospitals during the late 1800s were crowded and unsanitary, Nightingale also emphasized the need for a calm, noise-free and warm environment for patients. She put forth that nurses should not only record the times of meals but also assess the effects of the diet on the patient.
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Scientific and Religious Connection
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Nightingale accepted the miasma theory, which explained the spread of disease through noxious airs. She held that miasmatic disease came from God, and therefore humankind should observe the causes of it. In maintaining good hygiene and configuring a patient’s surroundings, nurses could progress on a spiritual plane.
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