Florence Nightingale was noted for her adherence to what is now called "Virtue Theory" within the field of nursing care. Virtue theory holds that the nursing profession carries with it certain moral obligations, as it has a moral influence upon patients and other health care workers. The ethical application of virtue theory to the practicalities of nursing characterised Nightingale's contribution to the medical profession. Although best remembered as the Crimean War's "Lady of the Lamp", Florence Nightingale's influence upon nursing was far further reaching. She was instrumental in the establishment of various policies and procedures which addressed the four key aspects of virtue theory รป nursing duty of care, environmental health, promotion of patient welfare beyond physical treatments, and nurses as community role-models. Nightingale was active in the development of the practical applications of virtue theory in the fields of clinical, hospital, surgical and home care.
(i) An Introduction to Virtue Theory:
Virtue theory is built on the premise that nursing services should be provided in response to internal, values-based motivation within each individual. The theory holds that nurses should seek to uphold traditional, social morals in their provision of health care, and measures nursing practices against a pre-conceived, "ideal" standard, which was first defined by Nightingale herself.
"In 1893, United States nurses had the Nightingale pledge, written by Lystra E. Gretter, superintendent of the school at Harper Hospital in Detroit. This pledge had (and has) an ethical orientation, just like any other similar pledge, not least the celebrated Hippocratic Oath." (Johnstone, 1999, 33)
The ethics of professional duty of care among nurses is impacted by virtue theory in a powerful way, as the onus rests upon each individual nurse to accept responsibility to act ethically in their professional endeavours, without t...