Key Historical Developments in Nursing Research

Essay by karlakaeUniversity, Bachelor'sA-, September 2009

download word file, 4 pages 0.0

University of PhoenixThere have been numerous events on the time line of historical research in nursing. The time line begins with Florence Nightingale and her contribution to nursing research and nursing research utilization. This paper will briefly discuss five historical contributions to nursing research that this writer feels have had the most influential contributions to nursing research, Florence Nightingale, the American Nurses Association, nursing research journal publications, research funding developments as well as health promotion.

Florence NightingaleUndoubtedly the most significant key historical development in nursing research began with the work done by Florence Nightingale in 1850 at the beginning of the Crimean War. She was a pioneer in nursing research as she laid the groundwork for what nursing research has evolved into today. Her publication in 1859, Notes on Nursing, described her main focus in environmental factors that promoted physical and emotional well-being of the patient (Polit & Beck, 2003).

She researched the ill effects of poor hygiene and sanitation among the military in the war. She began to collect statistical information and epidemiological data in order to change the methods in which care was the given to the military personnel. Improvements were made to the environments in which the soldiers were attended, which had a marked impact on decreasing the mortality from wounds they had received while in battle. Because of this work of Nightingale at the time, as stated in Burns and Grove (2007) "The military began to view the sick as having the right to adequate food, suitable quarters and appropriate medical treatment. These interventions drastically reduced mortality from 43% to 2% in the Crimean War"(Chap. 1, p.9).

Her ground work in research also demonstrates nursing research utilizations because she used her research knowledge to prompt changes in society by improving sanitation, testing public water, preventing...