NR393-60702: Nursing History-Elder #2

Week 2: Discussion: Nightingale Information New to You (Graded)

Purpose

The purpose of this discussion is for learners to describe Nightingale information new to them related to leadership and/or provision of care.

Course Outcomes

This discussion enables the student to meet the following course outcome:

  • CO 1: Describe persons and events in nursing history from the early years through the 19th century related to leadership and provision of care. (PO2)

Due Date

During the assigned week (Sunday the start of the assigned week through Sunday the end of the assigned week):

    • Posts in the discussion at least two times, and
    • Posts in the discussion on two different days

Total Points Possible: 50 points

Preparing the Discussion

  • Discussions are designed to promote dialogue between faculty and students and students and their peers. In discussions, students:
    • Demonstrate understanding of concepts for the week
    • Integrate outside scholarly sources when required
    • Engage in meaningful dialogue with classmates and/or instructor
    • Express opinions clearly and logically in a professional manner
  • Use the rubric on this page as you compose your answers.
  • Best Practices include:
    • Participation early in the week is encouraged to stimulate meaningful discussion among classmates and instructor.
    • Enter the discussion often during the week to read and learn from posts.
    • Select different classmates for your reply each week.

 Discussion

The basic story of Florence Nightingale is familiar to most nurses. This week we learned more about Nightingale’s life and work. Select one area of Nightingale’s leadership that was new to you and tell us how this changed your understanding of this important woman and her contributions to nursing.

SAMPLE SOLUTION

Florence Nightingale’s leadership in statistics lead to improve conditions for patients. Early in her life she had a love for mathematics and would create tables about flowers her family kept and travelling itineraries of trips her family took (Brixey et al., 2020). Early in her career she understood the factors that contributed to the mortality of patients such as age, poverty, and sex (Brixey et al., 2020). Her statistical data would lead to identifying ways to decrease disease and mortality. Early on she advocated for hand hygiene, which was not a common practice in her time. She found it difficult to perform her studies of comparison due to the lack of information that hospital records kept (Brixey et al., 2020). This led to her own journaling during the Crimean war where she used her statistics to show the number of deaths caused by living in the military barracks unsanitary conditions (Brixey et al., 2020). She used the coxcomb chart derived of 12 wedges that showed the months of the year. She used this charting to show the correlation of unsanitary conditions on mortality. After the war, she went on to work with physicians and staff in London hospitals to create a statistical model for treatment. She did find push back because the hospitals found that her statistics would not be cost effective and would take a lot of time (Brixey et al., 2020). It is through statistics and meticulous data journaling that we can learn of Florence Nightingale’s impact so many years later. Her love for mathematics lead to saving the lives of many through her research and data gathering. Her use of statistical data affects nurses today as there is growing research in many areas to improve patient outcomes and decrease disease. 

Brixey, J., Salyer, P., Simmons, D, et al. (2020). Nightingale power: The advent of nursing informatics. Nursing Management, 51, 51-53. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000669104.92938.0aLinks to an external site.

 
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