Florence Nightingale made several vital contributions to the nursing profession. One of her outstanding impact, which was also new to me, is the enhancement of evidence-based practice (Bostridge, 2008). Today, evidence-based practice is imperative in fostering quality health, minimizing wastage of resources, and increasing efficiency in a health organization (McEwen & Wills, 2014). Nightingale was the first healthcare provider to make use of statistics in improving health. She was working with British soldiers and wanted to know how best she could reduce the mortality rates. Using the information that she had collected, she was able to conclude that hygiene was the leading cause of the high mortality rate among the injured soldiers. For instance, in 1855, the mortality rate was estimated to at 42.7% (Bostridge, 2008). She recommended an improvement in hygiene when handling the injured soldiers. The resultant effect was a significant fall in the mortality rates, speedy recovery, and improvement in the quality of health.
I did not know that the evidence-based practice (EBP) in nursing is that old. I also did not realize that the practice can be attributed to Nightingale’s efforts to improve healthcare. The EBP has become an integral part of the nursing profession. With the increased complexity of infections, the goal is to use research-based knowledge to address the challenges (McEwen & Wills, 2014). Continuous improvement is necessary for the healthcare institution. Embracing the positive change helps in minimizing medical errors, increasing efficiency, and effectiveness, and improving the general quality of health in the hospitals. Therefore, Nightingale laid the foundation for today’s EBP. Today’s medical professionals draw their inspirations and ideas from Nightingale’s significant contributions. As such, she remains an icon in the nursing profession as her ideas remain relevant.
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References
Bostridge, M. (2008). Florence Nightingale: The Woman and Her Legend . London: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-87411-8.
McEwen, M., & Wills, E. M. (2014). Theoretical basis for nursing . Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
