The modern practice of nursing has become much more diversified and broader in its purposes than before. Given the current demand for more comprehensive approaches based on more fundamental sociopsychological theories, nurses must adapt and incorporate new methods into their practice. In addition to providing direct medical care and support related to the patient, the nurse must also consider the social and psychological factors that affect the patient’s condition, such as stress. The primary requirements for quality care are the proper communication between the nurse and the patient, understanding their needs, and the resulting specificity of the assistance. To provide such a treatment, Maslow’s classic model of needs, expressed in the pyramid of needs model, demonstrates its effectiveness (Stefan et al., 2020). Different patients have different levels of needs, whether they are purely physiological, like discomfort from a disease state, dissatisfaction with the food, or more social like the need for communication. With the ability to analyze and clearly understand the level of needs of the patient, the nurse can provide them with practical and productive treatment and support during hospitalization.
It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the experience and research of Florence Nightingale, who formulated the concepts of the environmental theory. The theory includes the nurse’s initiative to adjust ecological settings appropriate for the gradual recovery of the patient’s health (Gilbert, 2020). The theory also considers external factors associated with the patient’s environment and their influence on life or biological and physiological processes. Thus, all modern approaches that seek to improve the external environment and attitude towards the patient on the part of nurses originate in the work of Nightingale. Based on the above, I believe that environmental theory by Florence Nightingale has become the basis of what every nurse does, namely, trying to improve the condition and save the life of her patient. Thus, the environmental theory is still applicable today since it improves nursing by ensuring the patient’s comfort, arranging the environment, and improving his condition due to psychological and behavioral processes.
References
Gilbert, H. A. (2020). Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory and its influence on contemporary infection control. Collegian, 27(6), 626–633. Web.
Stefan, S. C., Popa, T. C., & Albu, C. F. (2020). Implications of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory on healthcare employees’ performance. Transylvanian Review of Administrative Sciences, 59 E, 124–143. Web.