May 6 is National Nurse’s Day. The date is close to the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is often given credit for establishing the nursing profession. Nightingale was a British woman best known for her service to British soldiers who were injured and sick in the war in Crimea in the mid-1800s. She is also credited with developing the idea for what we now know as a hospital.
It seems remarkable she became so famous and was able to impact so many people with such limited resources. She left her comfortable life in England to travel to a far off land to serve as a healthcare provider. There was no technology as we know it, very limited medications, and limited ability to do surgery. What she was able to provide was compassion, sympathy, comfort and some organization to the care of the patients. She was able to recognize the benefits of sanitation and cleanliness.
However, her main contribution was to be there for the patients and provide some comfort even though she knew a great number of them were dying. She was a patient advocate and was known for providing compassionate care for every patient she encountered. She is known as “the lady with the lamp” since she carried a lamp to light her way during the night as she visited patients.
We have come a long way from the days of Florence Nightingale. We have technology, medications and treatments she could never have even dreamed of. In modern healthcare, it seems it is easy for healthcare providers to lose focus on the real reason that they chose healthcare as a profession. Sometimes patients need someone to just be there for them. They need someone to listen to their fears, someone to help them with bodily functions that most people view as intensely private, someone to provide care in a way they know that person really cares about them, and yet someone who has the skills to use the available technology to treat them safely and effectively. That person is primarily the nurse and this is our opportunity to thank them and appreciate them for what they do.
The healthcare system needs good nurses to be able to provide quality care. These days we seem to focus on measures of quality. But, how do you measure compassion? I am hopeful nurses can continue to spend enough time with the patient and put their hands on them at least as much as our present system requires them to be putting their hands on computer keyboards. I have witnessed many good nurses who partner with and guide mothers through their labor process, who have the skill to relieve the fear and anxiety that accompany illness, who have the ability to make patients know they are being cared for even when the treatment options have run out. These are things nurses do that are the root of what healthcare is all about. This is the part of healthcare that can never be replaced by a computer or a robot.
Nursing is a tough job. It is not easy to care for people dealing with pain and suffering. Even though there has been tremendous change in healthcare since the days of Florence Nightingale, her spirit can still help the medical profession not lose focus on compassion and comfort. So, on National Nurses Day, I would like to recognize nurses and personally thank all them for what they do. I imagine many of you, who might take the time to read this, know a nurse and maybe you could spread some words of gratitude and encouragement to them also. Stay healthy my friends.
By: P. Michael Shattuck, M.D. – Community Health Network Family Physician
