Perspectives: Reflection on leadership and innovation in unprecedented times

Maher, L. (2020). Perspectives: reflections on leadership and innovation in unprecedented times. <i>Journal of research in nursing</i>, <i>25</i>(8), 753-757.Link to full text<b>Abstract</b>The World Health Organization named 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife to honour Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday. Many have described 2020 as ‘unprecedented times’ due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. During her career, Nightingale had similar experiences of widespread infectious disease following outbreaks of cholera and malaria amongst wounded soldiers during the Crimean War. It was these experiences that led her to believe that poor hygiene was responsible for so many deaths and to then identify the principles of infection control that we draw on today. From my perspective, she was a pioneer and has in many ways been the greatest role model for nursing of all time. Nightingale demonstrated strong skills in leadership and innovation which remain core competencies of contemporary nursing. I am going to reflect on these three characteristics within the context of the unprecedented times presented to us by COVID-19.PMID: 34394700