Role Of Hygiene In Health: What Florence Nightingale Taught Us?

What should the current healthcare industry learn from Florence Nightingale? What should people learn from her life?

She is known as the ‘Lady with the lamp,’ you know why? Because of her efforts to raise the global health issues and develop appropriate solutions for that. Things that she brought to the light more than 150 years ago are still insightful, impactful, and good to use. 

12th May is the birth anniversary of Florence Nightingale. According to Wikipedia, she is a social reformer, statistician, and the founder of modern nursing. Still, there is always something more to know about a legend than just a Wikipedia statement.

She was the founder and pioneer of modern nursing and is a good symbol of the profession. Hence, her birthday is observed as International Nurses Day to celebrate the efforts and contributions of nurses around the world.

Hygiene Is A Gateway To Good Health

On International Nurses Day 2022, let’s learn how hygiene plays a role in healthcare and what Nightingale taught us. Hygiene is a gateway to good health; Florence Nightingale always tried to convey this message somewhere through her efforts. 

She firmly believed in the “Germ Theory” of diseases. She always advocated hygiene and its importance. She stressed prevention from germs to avoid diseases and emphasized the role of personal hygiene in disease prevention. 

Apart from these, she strongly counseled that fresh air and natural light are necessary to eliminate germs and harmful bacteria, and many modern-day scientists, after the pandemic, discovered the same thing. 

Indispensable Part Of Healthcare

One of the most significant and vital segments of the healthcare industry is the nursing staff. It is one of the most demanding and taxing professions, both emotionally and mentally, because nurses have to meet the expectations of the patients and the hospital’s management while providing the best patient care possible and working long and taxing shifts.

Role Of Nurses During Pandemic

Nursing has been thrust into the spotlight because of the recent Covid-19 pandemic; their efforts have been at the forefront of Coronavirus response alongside other medical professionals.

We’ve applauded their expertise and been grateful for their care and efforts tackling the pandemic. But the pandemic has also revealed that real investment in nursing is essential to securing global health. 

International Nurses Day Theme 2022

Every year there is a new theme, and the International Nurses Day theme 2022 is “Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in nursing and respect rights to secure global health,” which aims to shed some light on the same. 

Nurses have and continue to play a crucial role in the recovery and well-being of people across the globe. But are seldom given the respect and recognition they deserve. It is about time that they are provided with better working conditions and fair rights.

Keep In Mind

Now more than ever, we need to acknowledge that nurses are the backbone of the healthcare sector and need to be treated as such. Every nurse working out there in the hospitals, clinics, or even in the personal space of a patient is “Florence Nightingale.” Every time we see a nurse, it must remind us of the lessons given by Florence Nightingale.


– Akriti Gaur