The World Health Organization's Year of the Nurse and Midwife marks the 200th birthday of Florence Nightingale. May 6 is National Nurse Recognition Day in the United States. Florence Nightingale's ideas still resonate today. She implemented handwashing and other preventive measures in hospitals. She considered the home to be a priority site in preventing infectious diseases.
How will coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency drive the future of nursing? Nursing has always had a strong focus on Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), including underlying health conditions and social issues such as poverty, housing issues, low quality food access, lack of health insurance, and poor access to health. SDOH are especially important during the COVID-19 crisis. Nurses are in key positions to address SDOH. The Committee on the Future of Nursing 2020-2030 explores how nurses can work to reduce health disparities and promote equity, while keeping costs at bay, using technology, and maintaining patient and family-focused care into 2030. Sponsored by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this work builds on the foundation set out by the Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health. For more information, please review the Consensus Study from the National Academy of Medicine.
Nurses remain the most trusted profession in the U.S. for 18 years in a row according to the 2019 Gallup Poll. The world is recognizing the outstanding contributions of nurses especially as we battle the coronavirus (COVID-19). Nurses are the bridge to health care. Nursing is changing and nurses play a key role to improve the health and well-being for all.