[Reminiscing the pioneers of modern nursing during Covid-19 epidemic: 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth]

Before Florence Nightingale, nurses lacked special skills and training. The nursing mainly relied on nurse's religious passion and feelings to carry out nursing activities, and some vulgar and ignorant women took care of the job. Nightingale, who well-educated, born in an aristocratic family, devoted herself to nursing career despite the opposition of her family. She travelled around the world to investigate the hospital and nursing status. Nightingale practiced her concept of nursing work in the Crimean war. After the investigation of the wounded soldiers, she pointed out that the high mortality rate of British soldiers was related to poor nursing. She put forward suggestions to strengthen military nursing education; then she established modern nursing education institutions and created a new nursing education model, which was the beginning of modern nursing career.

Exploring implementation of the Careful Nursing Philosophy and Professional Practice Model© in hospital-based practice

AIM

To explore the effectiveness and feasibility of implementing the two clinical dimensions of the Careful Nursing Philosophy and Professional Practice Model^© (Careful Nursing) in an acute care hospital.

BACKGROUND

Implementation of a professional practice model by nurses in hospitals supports nurses' control over their practice and enhances the quality of their contribution to patient care. Implementing such change is complex and initially best approached on a small scale.

METHODS

A mixed methods exploratory design was used. Data were sought from 23 professional nurses practising in a 26-bed acute medical ward for older persons. Quantitative data were collected on nurses' control over and documentation of their practice. Qualitative data were collected on nurses' perceptions of their practice.

RESULT

Nurses' control over practice and adherence to practice documentation standards increased. Overall, the nurses perceived Careful Nursing-guided practice positively. Feasibility issues were identified and addressed.

CONCLUSION

Exploratory evidence suggests that Careful Nursing could influence nurses' practice and overall perception of practice positively; its implementation is feasible.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Careful Nursing offers a distinctive nursing framework for professional practice. This study can provide a strategy for implementing Careful Nursing-guided changes in hospital-based practice on an exploratory level.