It is very likely that the first medical professional we meet when we go to the hospital is a nurse. Nurses are very instrumental in a patient’s journey towards healing be it at the triage, wound dressing, bed bathing, midwifery, giving medication, etc. Consequently, every year on May 12 we celebrate world nursing day to commemorate these instrumental heroes. But why May 12th?
Florence Nightingale is considered the founder of modern-day nursing. She was a voice that led. One of the theories she strongly propagated concerned her belief that the environment strongly correlated and influenced patient outcomes. Clean air, clean water, clean food, and proper sanitation are just basic rights to every patient; and human beings are real. Florence believed this was part of the nursing role in patient management and to this day nurses are celebrated for their efforts towards this.
Florence Nightingale, also known as the lady with the lump, came to prominence during her efforts in the Crimean war. She is recorded to lead a team of 38 nurses in nursing wounded soldiers in Constantinople. Their efforts helped reduce the mortality rate from a glaring 40% to 2%. She later went on to give significant input in the nursing world and in honor of her effort we celebrate nurses on the anniversary of her birthday.
I once asked a nurse what kept her going despite the heavy demands and challenges of her career. She answered with a story of how she was stopped by a random stranger at the market one day. The stranger was a woman with a child probably 7 or 8 years old. The lady was super excited to see her and went on to thank her. The nurse at this point was confused. The lady then went on to explain she recalls her from the day she gave birth to the baby now standing beside her – she was her midwife. The lady would have never forgotten her face and how she helped her on that monumental day. My friend’s nurse was elated and it is this and many other similar encounters that give her the fuel to journey on. Nurses are there for you when you need it the most. Besides medical care, they provide emotional support and for this, we will forever take pride in them.
In the recent past, the need for nursing care outside the hospital setting has increased. With the advent and rise of chronic disease more and more patients require daily nursing care. This has necessitated nursing at home. In this arrangement, the nurse provides for the needs of the patient be it wound care, administration of medications, or other minor procedures at the comfort of their home. The doctor is kept in the loop of the patient’s progress and visits regularly. This arrangement is growing in popularity as it allows for the patient to heal while surrounded by their loved ones. It also greatly reduces the healthcare costs while increasing the quality of care as the nurse is fully committed to you. More nurses would need to be trained for its scalability but this is probably the vision of future healthcare.
The impact of nurses cannot be exhausted as it is immense. Today we celebrate all nurses out there happy world Nurses Day!
Ponea Health offers Nursing Services at the comfort of your home. Call or Whatsapp on +254 111 013 900 to book a Nurse Today!
Written by Joyce Bochere – Clinical Triage