Nursing Theory Reflection Paper

Nursing Theory Reflection Paper

 

Background of Nursing and Nursing Theories

Nursing is a profession an ever-growing field with the incorporation of new ideas that are aimed at improving patient care and safety. As Backes et al. (2020) observe, unlike traditional practice where nurses were required to take doctor`s instructions and administer medications to patients, nursing training has advanced to allow nurses to think critically, prepare care plans, make patient decisions, cooperate with other healthcare providers, and follow-up patients. Furthermore, more nursing subspecialties have emerged, including surgery, psychiatry, anesthesiology, emergency, and home healthcare nursing.

Unlike all other subspecialties that require nurses to provide nursing care in health facilities, home healthcare nurses like myself provide care to patients at their homes to allow for recovery and coordinate care with other healthcare providers (Backes et al., 2020). Notably, the increasing number of elderly patients in the US and other parts of the world has favored home healthcare nursing. In addition, the provision of home healthcare is essential in reducing hospital stays, reducing the rate of hospital-acquired infections, and reducing admission rates. Fortunately, patients’ quality of life is improved. Additionally, there is a reduction in healthcare burden in terms of cost, mortality, and morbidity. However, there is a need to integrate a model of knowledge offered by nursing theories to improve nursing practice and patient outcomes. Therefore, in this reflection paper, I will address the concepts of Florence Nightingale’s theory of a healthy environment and its application in my role as a home healthcare nurse (HHN).

Florence Nightingale`s Theory

Nightingale, known to many as the “mother of modern nursing,” performed compassionate work that provided the background to nursing practice. Furthermore, she developed nursing the first nursing theory termed Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory. In her theory, she argues that a patient`s environment is an important factor in patient recovery and prevention of illness (Breigeiron et al., 2021). Therefore, she stated poor environment was equivalent to poor health. She also insisted that nurses can healthily alter the environment to improve patient outcomes. She further provided more information about her theory for clarification. The details are discussed as follows.

In her theory, various concepts of a healthy environment were discussed. The environmental concept of health includes physical, social, and psychological aspects. The physical factors include ventilation and warming, light, noise, bed and bedding, cleanliness of rooms and walls, the health of houses, personal hygiene, and nutrition (Breigeiron et al., 2021). The social and psychological aspects include management, social relations, observations of the sick and variety, and talking hopes and advice. However, she made some assumptions in her theory. Her assumptions included natural laws; nursing was a calling that required some basic knowledge to incorporate the art and science of nursing; nursing care is achieved through altering the environment; people become perfect with time, and that nursing is a separate field from medicine (Backes et al., 2020). In addition, Nightingale stated that nurses’ main aim was to place patients in the best possible condition and allow nature to take its course. Nonetheless, the theory provides a basis for critical and holistic thinking in clinical decision-making and care management in different contexts of nursing practice as well as HHN. I apply this concept to my practice to improve my patients’ outcomes.

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Application of the theoretical Concepts

As an HHN, I take full responsibility for my patients, and more than often, I make decisions regarding the care of my patients. These decisions are influenced by my clinical judgment based on my nursing knowledge and consultations with other healthcare teams I interact with. Therefore, I have developed good communication skills to foster my interaction with other team members as well as the patients and their family members. Notably, I take care of patients with chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, chronic renal failure, congestive heart failure, dementia, and liver failure, among others. Most of these patients require specialized care with prompt adjustments to address their concerns. Therefore, I have relied on the concepts of Nightingale’s theory to alter the environment in a positive way to improve the outcomes of my patients in their homes. I believe that altering the environment in addition to emotional care and administration of medications will hasten patient recovery as well as foster the healing process.

To begin with, I take a keen interest in my patient`s nutrition. Nutrition is essential in nursing care and plays a vital role in achieving healing, which is the main principle of Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory (Stevanin et al., 2018). I apply the concept of nutrition in various ways, for instance, by providing food at the right time and taking it away, eaten or uneaten, at the right time, and considering the nutrition value of the meal. Notably, giving proper attention to a patient’s diet and putting into consideration how much they have had or ought to have had in the day. In addition, consideration of the patient’s food preference is equally important in enhancing good nutrition. With attention being given to what will improve the patient’s ability to eat well, the concept of good nutrition is applied in nursing care.

Secondly, ventilation, cleanliness, and warming are other important concepts of a healthy environment applied in the nursing practice. Proper ventilation, warming, and cleanliness of rooms and walls are important in promoting the healing process (Riegel et al., 2021). For instance, I have made it a routine to open the windows at certain periods and at certain intervals to improve room ventilation and freshening of the room. In addition, limiting the attendants and educating the patient on the importance of proper ventilation help prevent possible congestion and room stuffiness (Riegel et al., 2021). However, sometimes educate family members on the importance of cleanliness and proper ventilation before allowing close family members to interact with the patient and offer psychological support that will aid in improving recovery. Furthermore, to ensure that patients have access to light, I always allow those who are stable to busk in the sun while arranging for heaters for the unstable patients. This concept ensures that the right temperatures are maintained while avoiding either a too cold or too hot environment. As evident in my practice, implementing this concept in the nursing practice ensures that the patient’s well-being is catered for while enhancing healing.

Furthermore, basic sanitation and proper lighting are applied in the nursing practice and are beneficial for both health and recovery. A cleanroom is an important factor that positively impacts a patient’s health (Riegel et al., 2021). This is achieved by arranging proper lighting in the room, placing a litter bin, which is regularly emptied and cleaned, at a strategic position, regular cleaning and changing of beddings, together with all the basic sanitation activities. In addition, personal cleanliness through practicing and encouraging hand hygiene is a daily practice in my nursing profession. I wash my hands before touching patients, after touching them, before administering medications, after being in contact with the patient`s environment, and after coming in contact with contaminated surfaces and fluids. This aids in preventing the transfer of disease and preventing new infections. As a result, patient safety and recovery are catered for. Therefore, it is important to maintain a hygienic environment for the well-being of both the patient and the caregiver. This way, the healing process is enhanced.

Finally, clean water supply and usage and noise reduction are essential in the nursing practice.  Clean water plays a vital role in attaining basic sanitation and personal hygiene. Furthermore, the use of clean water reduces the risks of acquiring water-borne diseases and other conditions that could arise due to poor sanitation, including typhoid, cholera, dysentery, polio, amoeba, and infestation with intestinal worms (Breigeiron et al., 2021). On the other hand, a quiet environment enhances patients’ quality of sleep. As a result, I always make sure that all devices, including electronics and phones, are switched off or kept away from patients to enable them to sleep without disturbances. Good quality sleep helps improve memory, concentration, and learning and reduces the risks of cardiovascular conditions; all of that aim to improve patient outcomes (Stevanin et al., 2018). Therefore, I have made it a routine to ensure that my patients drink clean and safe water and achieve quality sleep. Essentially, these have helped in preventing infections while improving patient recovery.

Conclusion

Despite the diversity in the nursing specialties that nurses require nurses to acquire specific skills to meet their patient needs, nursing theories still play a vital part in nursing practice, decision-making, critical thinking, and application of skills. While various theories exist, Nightingale`s theory of environment remains the core guideline in nursing practice. The concepts of the theory insist on altering the patient environment to achieve quick recovery. I have mastered and practiced the concepts of this theory in my nursing practice yielding better patient outcomes. Besides, the applicable concepts in my role as an HHN include cleanliness, nutrition, bed and bedding, ventilation, minimizing noise, and lighting. Consequently, I have achieved substantive results that have helped more grow in my nursing career.

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References

Backes, D. S., Toson, M. J., Ben, L. W. D., & Erdmann, A. L. (2020). Contributions of Florence Nightingale as a social entrepreneur: from modern to contemporary nursing. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 73(suppl 5), e20200064. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0064

Breigeiron, M. K., Vaccari, A., & Ribeiro, S. P. (2021). Florence Nightingale: Legacy, present and perspectives in COVID-19 pandemic times. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 74Suppl 1(Suppl 1), e20201306. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2020-1306

Riegel, F., Crossetti, M. da G. O., Martini, J. G., & Nes, A. A. G. (2021). Florence Nightingale’s theory and her contributions to holistic critical thinking in nursing. Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem, 74(2), e20200139. https://doi.org/10.1590/0034-7167-2020-0139

Stevanin, S., Palese, A., Bressan, V., Vehviläinen-Julkunen, K., & Kvist, T. (2018). Workplace-related generational characteristics of nurses: A mixed-method systematic review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 74(6), 1245–1263. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.13538

Analyze how nursing theory is applied to nursing practice.
And interest concepts to apply the nursing theory into their workplace.
I work as home health care nurse, my nursing theory project was “Florence Nightingale” I focused on healthy environment.