Florence Nightingale’s theory and her contributions to holistic critical thinking in nursing

Abstract

Objective: to reflect on Florence Nightingale’s legacy and describe her contributions to critical holistic thinking in nursing. Methods: this is a theoretical reflection, for which scientific productions on Florence Nightingale’s environmental theory, as published in national and international journals, were based. Results: Florence Nightingale’s philosophy and teachings emphasize that the nurse must use her brain, heart and hands to create healing environments to care for the patient’s body, mind and spirit. Nursing, since the time of Nightingale, has been building the holistic paradigm, in all schools of thought, with a view to a humanistic approach to the human being in their indivisible relationship with the environment. Final considerations: Florence’s contributions to holistic critical thinking in nursing are evident, constituting nurses’ differential in clinical practice.