What We Know and How We Know It: Contributions from Nursing to Women’s Health Research and Scholarship

Abstract

In this first chapter, we trace the historical roots of nursing research and scholarship focused on protecting and promoting women's health. Beginning with Florence Nightingale, modern nursing's first researcher, who focused on the health impact of women's daily lives through her detailed observations of human behavior. More recently, nursing's contributions to women's health over the past 30 years have redefined women's health, proposed new frameworks for understanding women's health; provided reviews of the women's health literature across disciplines; developed communities of nurse scholars and researchers focused on new areas of women's health research; generated and expanded the knowledge base for women's health practice and education; promoted a global view of women's health; and proposed new models for women's health care delivery. Clearly, a community of nursing scholars, developed over the past 25 years, has contributed to advancing women's health knowledge and improving the health and well-being of women. Without the benefit of a crystal ball, we suggest that nursing will continue to provide leadership in the conduct and the application of research to improve women's health and women's lives.