THE ART AND SCIENCE OF PERSON-
CENTERED CARE
10TH EDITION
AUTHOR(S)CAROL R TAYLOR; PAMELA
LYNN; JENNIFER BARTLETT
Question 1
Reference: Historical Perspectives on Nursing — Florence
Nightingale and the Birth of Modern Nursing
A nurse manager is presenting an orientation session to new
graduate nurses regarding the history of professional nursing
practice. The manager explains how Florence Nightingale's core
contributions shaped modern nursing practice. Which nursing
intervention performed today best reflects Nightingale’s original
principles of environmental manipulation and patient
advocacy?
A. Administering prescribed broad-spectrum antibiotics to a
patient with a confirmed bacterial wound infection
,B. Opening hospital window blinds during the day to allow
natural sunlight and maintaining clean, dry bed linens
C. Documenting a detailed physical assessment in the electronic
health record immediately after completing vital signs
D. Educating a patient regarding the dietary restrictions
required while taking an oral anticoagulant medication
Correct Answer: B. Opening hospital window blinds during the
day to allow natural sunlight and maintaining clean, dry bed
linens
Rationale:
Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory emphasized that
the nurse’s primary role is to manipulate the patient's
environment to facilitate the body’s natural healing processes.
Essential elements of her framework included fresh air, light,
warmth, cleanliness, quiet, and proper nutrition. Modifying the
physical environment by providing natural light and clean linens
directly reflects these foundational environmental principles.
• A is incorrect: While pharmacologic therapy is an essential
part of modern medical and nursing care, Nightingale's
initial framework focused on environmental control and
cleanliness rather than medical pharmacotherapy.
, • C is incorrect: Documentation is a standard modern nursing
practice, but establishing an electronic record does not
represent Nightingale’s foundational environmental focus.
• D is incorrect: Patient education regarding
pharmacotherapy is an important nursing competency
today, but it does not represent Nightingale's
environmental principles of light, sanitation, and air
quality.
Teaching Point: Florence Nightingale emphasized
environmental manipulation—such as light, cleanliness, fresh
air, and quiet—to support natural healing.
Citation: Taylor, C. R., Lynn, P., & Bartlett, J. (2022).
Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Person-
Centered Care (10th ed.). Historical Perspectives on Nursing —
Florence Nightingale and the Birth of Modern Nursing.
Question 2
Reference: Historical Perspectives on Nursing — Development
of Nursing From Early Civilizations to the 16th Century
A nursing student is reviewing the historical evolution of nursing
care prior to the 19th century. The student notes that during
the Reformation period (16th century), nursing care underwent
significant decline. Which historical factor directly contributed
to this decline in the quality of nursing care during that era?
, A. The establishment of university-based nursing education
programs across Europe
B. The closure of monasteries and convents, leading to the
recruitment of untrained women or criminals to provide care
C. The discovery of germ theory and strict implementation of
clinical infection control measures
D. The rapid expansion of specialized military hospitals
managed exclusively by trained male orderlies
Correct Answer: B. The closure of monasteries and convents,
leading to the recruitment of untrained women or criminals to
provide care
Rationale:
During the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, religious
orders were disbanded and monasteries and convents were
closed. This created a severe shortage of personnel to care for
the sick, forcing institutions to recruit untrained women,
including former convicts, to serve as nurses in substandard
conditions, causing nursing’s societal status and quality of care
to drop significantly.
• A is incorrect: University-based formal nursing education
was not established in the 16th century; formal nursing
education emerged much later in the 19th and 20th
centuries.