Art in evidence-based nursing practice from the perspective of Florence Nightingale

Abstract

Objectives: to discuss, in the light of Florence Nightingale, the historical position of art as a constituent device of evidence-based nursing practice. Methods: reflective study anchored in the writings of Nightingale and other researchers with whom it is possible to have a profound dialogue on the theme “art in nursing”. Results: art is related to two essential elements in the practice of nursing: knowledge and skill. Understanding science as knowledge and art as skill leads to the idea that both make it possible to combine technical competence, compassion, ethics, and individualization of care. Final Considerations: the art of nursing is the continuous exercise of detailed perception, so that the subjective aspect becomes the center to which the nurse’s gaze converges, that which will allow them to unveil the “truth” posed by the patient, resulting in the best intervention for him.