Florence Nightingale

Who was Florence Nightingale?

Born in 1820, Florence Nightingale became a nurse despite opposition from her family. She cared for patients during the Crimean War, and is often to referred to as the 'Lady with the Lamp'.

What was nursing and hospital care like before Florence Nightingale?

In the early 1800s, most people were cared for by family in their own homes. A doctor would visit the patient and prescribe them medicine. Nurses were untrained and did not keep records on patient care.

Why did Nightingale's family not want her to become a nurse?

Prior to Florence Nightingale's influence in the mid-nineteenth century, nursing had a bad reputation, and nurses required no skills or training.

What did Florence Nightingale do in the Crimean War?

In 1854, during the Crimean War, she went to the Scutari Hospital Barracks in Turkey with a team of 38 nurses, to care for wounded soldiers.

What problems did Florence Nightingale face upon arrival in the Crimea?

Conditions were terrible for the 10,000 patients, and disease and infection were widespread. Medical supplies were limited, wards were filthy and infested with pests, and the food was poor.

What were Florence Nightingale's contributions to medicine?

She implemented measures that significantly improved hygiene at Scutari. This included cleaning surfaces, washing bedding, and ensuring the kitchens were clean. The quality of the food given to patients was improved, and windows were opened to allow air to circulate.

Why did Florence Nightingale make changes at Scutari?

Nightingale believed that miasmas were the cause of illness and that they would be prevented by keeping places clean.

What impact did Florence Nightingale's actions have at Scutari?

It's believed her actions resulted in the death rate falling from 42% to just 2%. She also became very popular both in the hospital and back in Britain.

What happened when Florence Nightingale returned from war?

Press coverage of her work in Scutari made Florence Nightingale famous. When she returned to Britain in 1856 she was considered an expert on nursing and hospitals.

What were Florence Nightingale's achievements?

Florence Nightingale's achievements after she returned from Scutari included writing over 200 books and creating training schools for nurses.

• ❖ In 1859, she wrote the book 'Notes on Nursing', which became a bestseller.
• ❖ The Nightingale Fund was created, which raised over £44,000. She used the money to set up a training school at St Thomas's Hospital in 1860, and a training school for midwives at King's College Hospital in 1861.
• ❖ She played an important role in promoting the French pavilion-design of hospitals, with wider open spaces to prevent miasma, which made them cleaner and safer.

What impact did Florence Nightingale have on hospitals?

In 'Notes from Nursing', Florence Nightingale set out her ideas about how hospitals were organised.

• ❖ She recommended building hospitals using a design developed in France. The design was based around the pavilion system, to ensure good ventilation through the wards which separated patients, in order to prevent the spread of contagious diseases.
• ❖ She suggested large windows to let in light and air.
• ❖ She also suggested surfaces should be easier to clean, such as tiled floors and painted walls.
• ❖ In 1868, St Thomas' Hospital (where the Nightingale School of Nurses was located) was rebuilt according to Nightingale's recommendations.

What changes did Florence Nightingale bring to nursing?

There were 4 important changes that Florence Nightingale brought to nursing.

• ❖ In 1860, Florence Nightingale opened the Nightingale School For Nurses at St Thomas' Hospital.
• ❖ This introduced strict rules for nurses - they had to go to bed at a certain time, and write a report on their progress every week.
• ❖ It gave nurses a formal training.
• ❖ It raised the status of nursing to a popular profession. By 1900, there were 68,000 trained nurses in Britain.

Why is Nightingale significant?

Florence Nightingale is regarded the founder of modern nursing. She turned nursing into a respectable profession, and introduced patient care and cleanliness to hospitals.