The Legacy of Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory: Nursing Research Focusing on the Impact of Healthcare Environments

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

The purpose of this paper is to explore nursing research that is focused on the impact of healthcare environments and that has resonance with the aspects of Florence Nightingale's environmental theory.

BACKGROUND:

Nurses have a unique ability to apply their observational skills to understand the role of the designed environment to enable healing in their patients. This affords nurses the opportunity to engage in research studies that have immediate impact on the act of nursing.

METHODS:

Descriptive statistics were performed on 67 healthcare design-related research articles from 25 nursing journals to discover the topical areas of interest of nursing research today. Data were also analyzed to reveal the research designs, research methods, and research settings. These data are part of an ongoing study.

RESULTS:

Descriptive statistics reveal that topics and settings most frequently cited are in keeping with the current healthcare foci of patient care quality and safety in acute and intensive care environments. Research designs and methods most frequently cited are in keeping with the early progression of a knowledge area.

CONCLUSIONS:

A few assertions can be made as a result of this study. First, education is important to continue the knowledge development in this area. Second, multiple method research studies should continue to be considered as important to healthcare research. Finally, bedside nurses are in the best position possible to begin to help us all, through research, understand how the design environment impacts patients during the act of nursing.

Keywords

Evidence-based design literature review nursing

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Creswell

J. W.

Klassen

Clark

V. L.

, & Smith

K. C.

(2011). Best practices for mixed methods research in the health sciences. Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from http://obssr.od.nih.gov/mixed_methods_research

Dossey

B. M.

Selanders

L. C.

Beck

D. M.

, & Attewell

(2005). Florence Nightingale today: Healing, leadership, global action. Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.

Gregory

(2009). Nobody asked me: Why nurses should take an interest in workplace design. American Journal of Nursing, 109(12), 11.

Hamilton

D. K.

(2003). Four levels of evidence-based practice. Healthcare Design. Retrieved from http://www.healthcaredesignmagazine.com/article/four-levels-evidence-based-practice

Institute of Medicine. (2000). To err is human: Building a safer health system. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/Reports/1999/to-err-is-human-building-a-safer-health-system.aspx

Institute of Medicine. (2001). Crossing the quality chasm: A new health system for the 21st century. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2001/Crossing-the-Quality-Chasm-A-New-Health-System-for-the-21st-Century.aspx

Institute of Medicine. (2004). Keeping patients safe: Transforming the work environment of nurses. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2003/Keeping-Patients-Safe-Transforming-the-Work-Environment-of-Nurses.aspx

Kreitzer

M. J.

, & Zborowsky

(2009). Creating optimal healing environments. In Snyder

& Lindquist

(Eds.), Complementary & alternative therapies in nursing (6th ed.) (pp. 321–330). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.

Lawton

M. P.

, & Nahemow

(1973). Ecology and the aging process. In Eisdorfer

& Lawton

M. P.

(Eds.), The psychology of adult development and aging (pp. 619–674). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

10.

Lobo

M. L.

(2011). Environmental model: Florence Nightingale. In George

J. B.

(Ed.), Nursing theories: The base for professional nursing practice (6th ed.) (pp. 47–62), Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

11.

Malone

Mann-Dooks

J. R.

, & Strauss

(2007). Evidence based design: Application in the MHS. HFPA Planning & Programming Division & TRICARE Management Activity, Falls Church, VA. Retrieved from http://facilities.health.mil/repository/getFile/7

12.

Nightingale

(1860). Notes on nursing: What it is, what it is not. London, England: Harrison and Sons.

13.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2010, November). Addressing the quality and safety gap—part III: The impact of the built environment on patient outcomes and the role of nurses in designing health care facilities. Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/content/dam/farm/reports/issue_briefs/2010/rwjf68886

14.

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (2014). Ten years after keeping patients safe: Have nurses' work environments been transformed? Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/en/research-publications/find-rwjf-research/2009/01/charting-nursings-future-archives/ten-years-after-keeping-patients-safe-have-nurse-work-environme.html

15.

Rubin

H. R.

Owens

A. J.

, & Golden

(1998). Status report: An investigation to determine whether the built environment affects patients' medical outcomes. Concord, CA: The Center for Health Design.

16.

Tri-Council for Nurses. (2000). Response to the Institute of Medicine's report “To err is human: Building a safer health system.” Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Retrieved from http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/position/tri-council-sept-2000

17.

Ulrich

Zimring

Quan

Joseph

, & Choudhary

(2004). Role of the physical environment in the hospital of the 21st century. Concord, CA: The Center for Health Design.

18.

Ulrich

R. S.

Zimring

Zhu

DuBose

J. R.

Seo

H. B.

, & Choi

Y. S.

Joseph

(2008). A review of the research literature on evidence-based healthcare design. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 1(3), 61–125.

19.

Zborowsky

(2014). The legacy of Florence Nightingale's environmental theory: Nursing research focusing on the impact of healthcare environments. Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 7(4), 19–34.