Who is referred to as the first nurse researcher, whose conclusions would today be termed evidence-based nursing research?

• A. Florence Nightingale
• B. Isabel Adams Hampton Robb
• C. Loretta Ford
• D. The American Nurses Credentialing Center

Answer: (A)

This item centers on using data to guide nursing practice, a habit we now call evidence-based nursing research. Florence Nightingale is the figure who first demonstrated this approach in a systematic way. During the Crimean War she collected and analyzed information on hospital conditions and patient outcomes, showing a clear link between sanitation, nutrition, clean water, ventilation, and mortality. She didn’t just observe; she measured, organized the data, and used it to advocate real changes in how care was delivered and how hospitals were run. Her work popularized the idea that nursing decisions should be grounded in evidence gathered from the clinical environment, making her a foundational figure in modern nursing research.

Isabel Adams Hampton Robb contributed greatly to professional nursing education and leadership, Loretta Ford helped shape the nurse practitioner role, and The American Nurses Credentialing Center is an organization that certifies nurses. While important in their own right, none are recognized as the first nurse researcher working to establish evidence-based approaches in nursing practice the way Nightingale did.