Application of Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory in Home Care Management of a COPD Patient: A Case-Based Review

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a significant respiratory disease which can significantly impact quality of life and may contribute to further hospital admissions and higher health care expenditure. Treatment for COPD is done not only with medicines, but also by focusing on a patient's home and daily routines. Florence Nightingale's Environmental Theory is useful in looking at these factors as it focuses on the patient's environment as the focal point of nursing care and recovery. This case-based review will discuss how the theory relates to the home-care management of a 50-year-old man who has suffered an acute COPD exacerbation. The home assessment revealed sub-optimal conditions which could impact the child's health, such as inadequate ventilation, exposure to smoke and dust, poor hygiene, excess noise, and poor nutrition. Nursing interventions centered on the improvement of the home environment, enhancing the hygiene conditions, giving education and engaging family in care. The case is an example of the way that Nightingale's principles of the environment can be applied today in the management of chronic disease, and in community nursing care.