The history of written word in Croatian nursing

Abstract

Today the development of a unique professional language and publishing of professional and scientific publications is the basis of every profession, including the nursing profession. The task of the unique language specific to the nursing profession is to describe the nursing profession (to make it more familiar to the other team members and clients/customers), improve communication between nurses and other team members, help in health care improvement and administration, enable comparison of health care results, improve health care outcomes, as well as facilitate health care documentation and encourage research related to nursing. From the historical point of view, the development of nursing practice in Croatia was not accompanied by professional writings until the end of the 20th century, especially not by professional articles written by nurses themselves. By analyzing old writings and handbooks, the historical development of the written word of nurses is reconstructed for the first time in the region.