GOVERNMENT COLLEGE OF

NURSING
SUBJECT- ADVANCE NURSING PRACTICE

SEMINAR ON
FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE’S ENVIORNMENT
THEORY

PRESENTED BY:-

AKANSHA MOSES
 INTRODUCTION
Florence Nightingale (1820-1910), considered the founder
of educated and scientific nursing and widely known as
"The Lady with the Lamp" wrote the first nursing notes
that became the basis of nursing practice and research. In
the field of nursing, Nightingale is considered the first
nursing theorist. One of her theories was the
Environmental Theory, which incorporated the restoration
of the usual health status of the nurse's clients into the
delivery of healthcare-it is still practiced today.
 ABOUT THE THEORIEST
 Born - 12 May 1820 on Florence Italy.
 Founder of modern nursing.
 The first nursing theorist.
 Also known as "The Lady with the Lamp".
 She explained her environmental theory in her famous book Notes on Nursing: What it is, What
it is not.
 After returning back to England after war on August 5, 1856, she established a teaching
institution for nurses at St Thomas Hospital and at King's College Hospital in London.
 During her career, Nightingale concentrated on army sanitation reform, army hospitals and
sanitation in India and among the poor classes in England.
 She was the first to propose nursing required specific education and training.
 Her contribution during Crimean war is well known.
 She was a statistician, using bar and pie charts, highlighting key points.
 International Nurses Day, May 12 is observed in respect to her contribution to Nursing.
 Died 13 August 1910
 NIGHTINGALE'S THEORY ON ENVIRONMENT
• Nightingale's theory focused on the environment. Environment includes
surrounding matters that influence course of development, the system must interest
and adjust to its environment.
• Environment which is capable of preventing, suppressing or contributing to
disease, accidents or death, in all the extended conditions and influences affecting
the life and developments of all organism.
• Nightingale viewed the manipulations of the physical environment as the
major component of nursing care.
• She identified ventilation and warmth, light, noise, variety, bed and bedding,
cleanliness of rooms and walls, and nutrition as major areas of the environment the
nurse could control.
• In her writing. "Notes on Nursing she discussed many aspects of
environment related to the nursing care which include health of houses, ventilation
and warming, light, noise, variety, bed and bedding, personal cleanliness, diet.
chattering of hopes and advices, and social consideration.
1. HEALTH OF HOUSES -
She discussed the importance of the health
of houses as being closely related to the presence of pure air, pure
water, drainage, cleanliness and light. She also noted that the
cleanliness outside the house affected the inside. She wanted
people to use common sense but only after these were educated
to essential facts regarding health.
2. VENTILATION AND WARMING -
The aspect of the environment that
concerned Nightingale most was providing proper ventilation to a
patient. This meant the nurse was to keep the air that the patient
breathes as pure as the external air, without chilling".
3. LIGHT -
• Light was another element of nursing care that Nightingale believed
could not be ignored.
• She viewed that direct sunlight is what patients wanted.
• Light, especially direct sunlight has purifying effect on the air of the
room.
• Modern hospital may be constructed in such a way that day light is
available for patients to serve a variety of purposes through properly
constructed window.

4. NOISE -
• Noise was another environmental element that Nightingale believed that
the nurse should manipulate She stated that patients should never be waked
intentionally or accidentally during the first part of sleep.
• She viewed unnecessary noise, including noise from female dress, as
5. VARIETY -
• She believed that variety in the environment was a critical aspect of
affecting the patient's recovery.
• She discussed the need for changes in color and form, including
bringing the patient brightly colored flowers or plants.
• Nightingale also advocated reading, needlework, writing, and cleaning
as activities to relieve the sick of boredom Now this is called diversion therapy.

6. BED AND BEDDING -

• She viewed bedding as an important part of environment.
• She believed that the bed should be placed in the lightest part of the
room and placed so that the patient could see out window.
• It is important for nurses to keep bedding clean, neat and dry and to
position the patient for maximum comfort.
7. PERSONAL CLEANLINESS -
• The need for cleanliness is extended to the patient, nurse and the
environment. She viewed the function of the skin is important, believing that many
diseases or disorders breaks through skin.
• She believed that unwashed skin poison the patient and noted that
bathing and drying the skin provided great relief to the patient.
• She also believed that personal cleanliness is extended to the nurse and
that every nurse thought to wash her hands very frequently during the day.

8. NUTRITION AND TAKING FOOD -

• Nightingale noted that individual desire for different food at different times
of the day and the frequent small services may be more beneficial to the patient
than a large breakfast or dinners.
• She urged that no business should be done with patients while they are
eating because this caused distraction.
• She also urged that the right food be brought at the right time.
9. CHATTERING HOPES AND ADVICES -
• She considered that false hope was depressing to patients and caused
them to worry and become fatigued.
• Nightingale encouraged the nurse to heed what is being said by visitors,
believing that sick persons should hear good news as that would assist them in
becoming healthier.

10.SOCIAL CONSIDERATION -
• She supported the importance of looking beyond the persons to the
social environments in which he or she lived.
• She was a role model for political activities by nurses. She was also an
excellent manager in her writing she discussed "Duty management." She
believed that the nurse and hospital related to be well managed. i.e. organized,
clean and with appropriate sup plies show client and environment in balance
and expending unnecessary energy being stressed by environment.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS
TYPES OF ENVIRONMENT

Physical
environment

Health

psychological social
environment environment
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT :-
• Physical environment consists of physical elements where the
patient is being treated.
Such as ventilation, warmth, cleanliness, light, noise and drainage.
• Physical environment influence the social and psychological
environments of the person.
• The walls and entire room should not be dusty, smoky or have
a close odour.
• A patient's bed must be clean, warm, dry and free from odour.
• Provide an environment in which the patient can be easily
cared for by others or self.
PSYCHOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT :-
• The effect of the mind on the body was fairly well accepted in
Nightingale's time.
• Nightingale recognized that a negative environment could cause
physical stress, there by affecting the emotional climate.
• Offering the patient a variety of activities to keep his mind stimulated.
• The view of sunlight, the attractiveness of the food and the offering
enable the patient to survive emotionally.
• Communication with the patient.
• Communication should not be hurried or allow for interruptions.
• When speaking with patients, it is important to sit down in front of them,
unless other activities such as eating are occurring.
• The place one communicates with the physician and family about the
patient is in the context of the environment of the patient. Out side the patient's
room or within their hearing distance is appropriate.
SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT :-

• Social environment involves collecting data on illness and

disease prevention.
• It includes components of the physical environment - clean
air, clean water, proper drainage.
• It consists of a person’s home or hospital room, as well as the
total community that affect the patients specific Environment.
 MAJOR CONCEPTS OF NIGHTINGALE ‘S THEORY
1. HUMAN BEING -
• Nightingale referred person as a patient. Person is affected by
environment
• Person is multidimensional, composed of biological, psychological, social
and spiritual components.
• He has power to deal with disease, recovery is within the person’s power
as long as a safe environment for recuperation exists.

2. HEALTH -
• Health is “Not only to be well, but maintaining well- being by using a
person’s power to the fullest extent”.
• Health is maintained by controlling the environmental factors to prevent
disease.
• Disease is considered as absence of comfort.
• Health and disease are the focus of nurse, who helps a person through the
healing process.
3. NURSING -
• Nursing is different from medicine and the goal of nursing is
to place the patient in the best possible condition for nature to
act.
• Nursing is the "activities that promote health which occur in
any care giving situation. They can be done by anyone."
• Nightingale believed that nursing to be a spiritual calling.
4. ENVIRONMENT -
• "Poor or difficult environments led to poor health and
disease".
• "Environment could be altered to improve conditions so
that the natural laws would allow healing to occur."
• She focused on ventilation , warmth, light, noise ,and
NIGHTINGALE AND NURSING PROCESS
NIGHTINGALE'S MODEL AND THE CHARACTERISTIC OF
THEORY
Theories can Interrelate Concepts -Theories can interrelate
concepts in such a way as to create different way of looking at a
particular phenomenon.
• Nightingale Examining environmental aspects, such as
light noise, or warmth can provide new insights into human
responses to health and illness.
• Health and illness are not only in the pathophysiology but
also psychosocial environment.

Theories must be Logical in Nature-Florence Nightingale's

environmental model is logical. There is nothing illogical in her
discussions of the physical or psychosocial environment. She
believed that she has used logic to correct her conclusion.
Theories must be Relatively Simple yet
Generalizable- Nightingale's theory has a lot of
generalizability. It can be utilized in any environment.
Such as hospital, nursing home, school individual home,
intensive care unit, at work site, or community at large.
Wherever human being may be found.

Theories can be bases for Hypothesis-Theories can

be bases for hypothesis that can be tested or for theory
to be explained.
Theories Constitute to and Assist in Increasing-
Theories constitute to and assist in increasing the
general body of knowledge within the discipline
through the research implementation to validate them.

Theories can be Used by Practitioner to Guide and

Improve their Practice.