Edith Magalhaes Fraenkel: The greatest figure of Brazilian Nursing

Abstract

The present study aimed to describe and analyze the career of Edith Magalhães Fraenkel and her important legacy to Brazilian nursing. The methodology chosen was a documentary analysis of her areas of participation based on documents of the Historical Cultural Center of Iberian-American School of Nursing of the University of São Paulo (Universidade de São Paulo, USP) and in the Rectory of the same University. The following thematic topics were categorized: preparation for leadership, moving to São Paulo, creation of the School of Nursing of USP, event organization, and unique developments at the end of her career. We conclude that Mrs. Edith Fraenkel is the most important figure of Brazilian nursing, thanks to her immeasurable work as a leader of the profession, nationally and internationally.

Management changes resulting from hospital accreditation

“…Especially the cyclical assessment for the sake of user-centered improvements seems to affirm that the Accreditation complies with the classical principles of Health Assessment 2 , 15 . Thus, the Accreditation process tends to firmly establish itself as a quality management system or strategy in this singular production sector.…”

“…Another management change deriving from the Accreditation is related to the financial and cost management (10 quotations), in line with the Accreditation principles, because the relation between cost and quality is one element that has been discussed since the classical concepts of quality in the production of goods and services 2 , 15 . This assertion rests on the fact that, in health, efficiency is one of the pillars of quality, representing the measure of at what cost a given improvement in health is achieved 15 ; therefore, the study findings may mean that, through well-defined management practices, the Accreditation essentially adopts the classical principles of quality in health.…”

“…One way for the hospital to maintain a favorable relation between the cost-benefit of the services can be the adoption of statistic control methods of the care processes and products, guided by decisions that support the best measure between the cost and benefit to be achieved 2 , 15 . In these terms, top management decisions on hospital finances and costs will be necessary because, in Brazil, the hospitals that comply with the Accreditation are mainly private 23 and, in these places, organizational cost decision are normally linked to the top management.…”

“…The scientific and technological advances, the market competitiveness and the clients' increasing requirements in the service sector have driven organizations, also in health, to incorporate the quality management philosophy in their strategic and systematic perspective 1 - 2 . In that sense, concerning the external assessment of the quality, the health institutions' management has evolved and developed tools for this purpose 2 - 3 ; and what is known today as Accreditation has been widely acknowledge for its potential to enhance the qualification of care all over the world, and also as a potential competitive strategy in the global health sector 3 - 4 .…”

“…In that sense, concerning the external assessment of the quality, the health institutions' management has evolved and developed tools for this purpose 2 - 3 ; and what is known today as Accreditation has been widely acknowledge for its potential to enhance the qualification of care all over the world, and also as a potential competitive strategy in the global health sector 3 - 4 .…”