FLORENCE

NIGHTINGALE
“ I attribute my success to
this:- I never gave or took
an excuse”

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Florence Nightingale
(1820-1910)
Born: May 12, 1820
Birth Place: Florence, Italy
Died: August 13, 1910 in UK (90 y.o)
Known: The Lady With The Lamp
Accomplishments: Pioneer of Professional
Nursing
Her Theory: Environmental Adaptation Theory 2
➢ is a book first published by
Florence Nightingale in 1859. It
was intended to give hints on
nursing to those entrusted with
the health of others.

➢ Text written to guide nurses

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▪ She believed symptoms which were
thought to be of disease were actually
responses to negative environmental
stimuli

▪ She described nursing as a divine calling

to serve others

▪ Her philosophy was about healing, not

just caring for the sick

▪ She was the first to propose nursing

required specific education and training

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 Nightingale’s Conceptualization of Holism

▪ Florence Nightingale’s theory focuses on the care of the

patient rather than the nursing process

Human Being (Person)

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(Selanders, 2010)
 Environment
▪ Environment could be altered
in such a matter to allow
healing to occur.

➢ Poor or difficult environments

led to poor health and
disease

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(Selanders, 2010)
 Health
▪ Individual does not need to be
disease free to be healthy; rather
one must simply maximize optimal
potential to be in a healthy state.

▪ Nightingale stated that disease was

a reparative process.

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(Selanders, 2010)
 Nursing

▪ Nightingale states, “If a patient is

cold, if a patient is feverish, if a
patient is faint, if he is sick after
taking food, if he as a bed-sore, it
is generally the fault not of the
disease, but of the nursing.”

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(Selanders, 2010)
▪ Nightingale’s model is
philosophically
consistent with
Maslow’s Hierarchy of
Needs that we use
today
▪ Nightingale included in
her theory, what we
know today as the
nursing process
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(Selanders, 2010)
Nightingale’s 13 canons
Nursing Process
&Thought
1. Ventilation and Warmth

• Assess the client’s body temperature,

room temperature, and room for fresh
air (or adequate ventilation) and foul
odors. Develop a plan to keep the
room airy and free of odor while
maintaining the client’s body
temperature.
 2. Light

• Assess the room for adequate light.

Sunlight works best. Develop and
implement adequate light in the
client’s room without placing the
client in direct light.
3. Cleanliness of rooms
and walls

• Assess the room for dampness,

darkness, and dust or mildew. Keep
the room free from dust, dirt, mildew,
and dampness.
 4. Health and Houses

• Assess the surrounding environment for

pure water, drainage, cleanliness, and
light, Examples include removing
garbage or garments from the area,
removing any standing water (or
ensuring that water drains away from the
area), and ensuring that air and water
are clean and free from odor and that
there is plenty of light.
 5. Noise

• Assess the noise level in the

client’s room and surrounding
area. Attempt to keep noise
level to a minimum, and refrain
from whispering outside the
door.
 6. Bed and Bedding

• Assess the bed and bedding for

dampness, wrinkles, and soiling, and
check the bed for height, keep the bed
dry, wrinkle-free, and at the lowest
height to ensure the client’s comfort.
7. Personal cleanliness

• Attempt to keep the client dry and

clean at all times. Frequent
assessment of the client’s skin is
needed to maintain adequate
skin moisture.
 8. Variety

• Attempt to stimulate variety in the room

and with the client. This is
accomplished with cards, flowers,
pictures, book, or puzzles. Encourage
friends and relatives to engage the
client in some sort of stimulating
conversation.
9. Chattering hopes &
advices

• Avoid talking without reason or giving

advice that is without fact. Continue
to talk to the client as a person, and
continue to stimulate the client’s
mind. Avoid personal talk.
10. Taking food

• Assess the diet of the client.

Take note of the amount of
food and drink ingested by
the client at every meal or
snack.
 11. What food

• Continue with the assessment of

the diet to include type of food and
drink the client likes or dislikes.
Attempt to ensure that the client
always has some food or drink
available that he or she enjoys.
12. Petty management

• Petty management ensures continuity

of care. Documentation of the plan of
care and all evaluation will ensure
others give the same care to the
client in your absence.
13. Observation of the sick

• Observe everything about your

client. Record all observations.
Observations should be factual and
not merely opinions. Continue to
observe the client’s surrounding
environment, and make alterations
in the plan of care when needed.
Watch the Florence Nightingale movie and learn.

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 Selanders, L.C. (2010). The power of environmental
adaptation: Florence Nightingale's original theory for nursing
References practice. Journal of Holistic Nursing, 28(1), 81-89. doi:
10.1177/0898010109360257

Theory of Florence Nightingale. (2012). Retrieved from:

http://currentnursing.com/nursing_theory/Florence_Nightingale
_theory.html

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Thanks!
Any questions?

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