Florence Nightingale, the nurse who revolutionized hospitals. An integrative review
Abstract
Introduction: A leading figure in the history of the United Kingdom, Florence Nightingale defied Victorian norms and established the foundations of modern nursing care. During the Crimean War, she devoted her life to improving conditions in military hospitals, distinguishing herself with her ability to collect, organize, and present data effectively.
Objective: to analyze in the current literature Florence Nightingale as the nurse who revolutionized hospital care.
Method: An integrative literature review was conducted. The search was carried out in SciELO, PubMed/MEDLINE, EBSCO, Clinical Key, Springer, Web of Science, and Infomed from January to March of 2025. Publications from 2004 to 2019 were considered. Descriptors in Spanish and English (e.g., Florence Nightingale, modern nursing, hospital hygiene, humanized care, and healthcare reform) were used to search for articles. After screening and removing duplicates with Mendeley Desktop 1.19.4, 39 articles were selected from a total of 1,335 records.
Results: The findings were grouped into thematic clusters: (1) holistic and humanistic thinking; (2) environmental legacy and hospital reform; (3) relevance of the legacy during the COVID-19 pandemic; (4) educational and social impact. Nightingale's influence on hospital hygiene, infection control, professional training, and the use of statistics in health care is highlighted.
Conclusions: Florence Nightingale revolutionized hospitals by implementing hygienic measures, organizational practices, professional training, and methodological contributions, such as the application of statistics. She established a scientific and humanistic legacy that continues to influence contemporary nursing today. Nightingale institutionalized professional training and promoted evidence-based, person-centered nursing.
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References
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22 julio 2025