he Florence Nightingale Legacy

Florence Nightingale recognised that only with knowledge and skill could she hel
p improve public health. Showing great courage and determination, she followed h
er calling.
When the Crimean War broke out in 1854, she oversaw the introduction of female n
urses into the military hospitals in Turkey. Initially greeted with hostility, s
he took quick action to improve the deplorable conditions of the wounded, dramat
ically reducing mortality rates among soldiers from 40% to 2%.
While Nightingale is best known for her work during the war, some of her most va
luable contributions came afterwards. She returned to England as a national hero
ine. However, she deliberately hid from public life and lived in seclusion where
she worked non-stop. Her first major works were two books published in 1859, No
tes on Hospital and Notes on Nursing, detailing her views on health care reform
gained from her experience during the war.
She founded the Nightingale School and Home for Nurses at St. Thomas's Hospital
, London in 1860, the first of its kind. The objective of the school was to prod
uce nurses who could train others. The following year she established a training
school for midwives in King's College Hospital.
Despite poor health which left her an invalid, Florence Nightingale worked tirel
essly until her death at 90. As a passionate statistician, she conducted extensi
ve research and analysis. She published over 200 reports and pamphlets on a wide
range of issues including hygiene, hospital administration and design, midwifer
y and health care for the poor.
Florence Nightingale's influence on nursing continues. She personified many of t
he important ideas that are crucial to nursing today - values, vision and voice.
Her strong values influenced her work throughout her life. She saw nursing as he
lping people to live and promoted the importance of the nurse's integrity. She f
ought for health care for people regardless of faith or economic background.
Her vision completely changed society's approach to nursing. She understood the
valuable contribution nurses could make in health care. She was committed to per
sonalised care and saw that sensitivity to patient needs was key to recovery. Sh
e believed that it was important to look after an individual's health, mental an
d physical, as well as sickness, an idea well ahead of its time.
Her voice was strong and she served as an effective advocate on a number of impo
rtant health issues, particularly for trained nursing and preventive health care
through proper hygiene. She could be extremely persuasive and through her conta
cts in the government, she influenced public policy and achieved positive health
care reforms.
Florence Nightingale still serves as a model for nurses today. With vision, valu
es and voice, nurses care for all people, leading societies around the world tow
ard better health.