Theoretical Foundations of Nursing
THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS OF NURSING
A. ENVIRONMENTAL THEORY
“I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.” Florence Nightingale (1860)
Florence Nightingale defined Nursing as “the act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery” (1860/1969), that it involves the nurse's initiative to configure environmental settings appropriate for the gradual restoration of the patient's health, and that external factors associated with the patient's surroundings affect life or biologic and physiologic processes, and his development.
Environmental Factors Affecting Health
Defined in her environmental theory are the following factors present in the patient’s environment:
• pure or fresh air
• pure water
• sufficient food supplies
• efficient drainage
• cleanliness
• light (especially direct sunlight)
Adequate ventilation has also been regarded as a factor contributing to changes of the patient’s process of illness recovery. Any deficiency in one or more of these factors could lead to impaired functioning of life processes or diminished health status.
She also emphasized in her environmental theory is the provision of a quiet or noise-free and warm environment, attending to patient’s dietary needs by assessment, documentation of time of food intake, and evaluating it’s effects on the patient.
Nightingale believed that the environment was the major component creating illness in a patient; she regarded disease as “the reactions of kindly nature against the conditions in which we have placed ourselves.” Her theory
Contains three major relationships:
• environment to patient
• nurse to environment
• nurse to patient
B. INTERACTIVE THEORIES
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS THEORY
“The kind of person that the nurse becomes makes a substantial difference in what each patient will learn as he or she receives nursing care.”
Hildegard Peplau (1952)
A. ENVIRONMENTAL THEORY
“I think one’s feelings waste themselves in words; they ought all to be distilled into actions which bring results.” Florence Nightingale (1860)
Florence Nightingale defined Nursing as “the act of utilizing the environment of the patient to assist him in his recovery” (1860/1969), that it involves the nurse's initiative to configure environmental settings appropriate for the gradual restoration of the patient's health, and that external factors associated with the patient's surroundings affect life or biologic and physiologic processes, and his development.
Environmental Factors Affecting Health
Defined in her environmental theory are the following factors present in the patient’s environment:
• pure or fresh air
• pure water
• sufficient food supplies
• efficient drainage
• cleanliness
• light (especially direct sunlight)
Adequate ventilation has also been regarded as a factor contributing to changes of the patient’s process of illness recovery. Any deficiency in one or more of these factors could lead to impaired functioning of life processes or diminished health status.
She also emphasized in her environmental theory is the provision of a quiet or noise-free and warm environment, attending to patient’s dietary needs by assessment, documentation of time of food intake, and evaluating it’s effects on the patient.
Nightingale believed that the environment was the major component creating illness in a patient; she regarded disease as “the reactions of kindly nature against the conditions in which we have placed ourselves.” Her theory
Contains three major relationships:
• environment to patient
• nurse to environment
• nurse to patient
B. INTERACTIVE THEORIES
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS THEORY
“The kind of person that the nurse becomes makes a substantial difference in what each patient will learn as he or she receives nursing care.”
Hildegard Peplau (1952)
References: Octaviano, Eufemia F., RN, RM, MN, EdD, Balita, Carl E., RN, RM, MAN, DrHum. “Theoretical Foundations of Nursing: The Philippine Perspective”, 2008. http://nursingcrib.com http:// http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/