Nursing is one of the oldest tradotiinal professions established in Europe during the middle ages. This was a point in time when Nursing and Medicine respectively were being practiced by lay people. So Nursing at that time was essentially the art of caring for the sick and destitutes through trial and error
The search for understanding the relationship between man's physical and socio-psychological state is beyond common sense. Members of the health care delivery system in the past concentrated thier attention on solving man's physical problems, that is health care services were concentrated on eliminating symptoms without search for and removing the cause
Today attempts are being made by all those involved in health care delivery to pay more attention to behavioural events which promote and complicate physical or mental illness. For example , it was discovered that no sooner that the infectious diseases were controlled in some countries than chronic illness associated with poor health practices emerged in large scale. These diseases of affluence which include obesity, hypertension, bronchitis, cancer, mental illness, etc, call for a search for understsnding thecrelatiinship between man's physical and social phychological state
The necessary information for such understsnding have been supplied by such disciplines as Sociology, Anthropology, Social phychology teaches the contribution in knowledge of those social science most relevant to human behaviour during illness and in health
Nurses need to demonstrate an understanding of the importance of dignity and respect for patients and their families as they will have different cultures. This helps in providing patient-centred care. To achieve this, nurses need to examine their own values, beliefs, and culture which can have a significant negative impact on their patients.
For example through the knowledge gained from a behavioural science course, a nurse is able to appreciate the fact that an amputee does not only have physical problem but perhaps he has lost his job, his income and freedom just because of his missing hand or leg.
Therefore proper rehabilitation is to be put in place or else such a person may become totally dependent and in extreme cases, a destitute or begger.
As our population ages, there is a growing demand for graduates who can think divergently, manage multisystem needs and provide empathetic care in each of these field
