To recognize the 200th anniversary of Florence Nightingale's birth, not only will May 12 again be celebrated as International Nurses Day, but the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated 2020 the Year of the Nurse and Midwife.1 As part of their efforts, the WHO also plans to lead the development of the first ever State of the World's Nursing Report prior to this year's World Health Assembly.1 As our contribution to the global celebration of this important bicentenary, you will find numerous items in this issue related to nurses, nursing, and Nightingale.

Nightingale was a visionary leader who remains extremely relevant to today's healthcare systems. Most readers are familiar with her achievements at the British military hospital in Turkey during the Crimean War.2-5 With a staff of only 38 nurses and limited supplies, she implemented processes that reduced high mortality and organized the hospital system. She meticulously collected data and used statistical analysis to eliminate unsafe practices and improve unhealthy care environments. As an expert statistician, she used the integrated coxcomb (a pie chart-like design) for data visualization that revealed more soldiers were dying of disease than their battle wounds.2,4-6 In this spirit of Nightingale's emphasis on data, this month's CE/CME article provides an excellent systematic literature review assessing the effectiveness of topical anesthetic and analgesic agents to reduce chronic leg ulcer pain.

A 2020 US Gallup Survey continues to rank nurses as the most trusted, honest, and ethical professionals.7 This opinion is not limited to direct patient care; in fact, the average American trusts nurses more so than any other group to improve the current healthcare system.8 However, although Nightingale did lead healthcare system change, she was quick to point out the importance of collaboration with physicians and other members of the healthcare team; interprofessional care is a principle still honored by this journal today.

In fact, Nightingale's relevance only increases in times of crisis and uncertainty. As we write this editorial, the WHO has just declared the coronavirus a pandemic. Although we have no crystal ball to know what the world will look like when this is printed in May, we can still look to Nightingale for guidance. Her work brought to light the importance of public health, sanitation, and standardized mortality data.

We are reminded that our hands should be kept away from our nose and mouth and that face masks are only protective when dry, uncontaminated, and properly fitted. For healthcare workers, masks are important for protection against virus-laden droplets that can spread up to 6 feet from a cough. We must avoid touching objects and surfaces (eg, elevator buttons, railings, and bathroom doorknobs) where the virus can colonize for several days. For prevention and after exposure, the importance of washing one's hands is the key to Nightingale's "hand health."9 Her advice, "Every nurse ought to be careful to wash her hands very frequently during the day,"10 rings as true as ever.

We hope all of you are safe and not too tired from your efforts to deliver care to patients during this extraordinary world health crisis. We encourage you to draw inspiration from the successes of the past and continue to work together to create healthcare data for the future.

Elizabeth A. Ayello, PhD, MS, BSN, RN, CWON, ETN, MAPWCA, FAAN

R. Gary Sibbald, MD, DSc (Hons), MEd, BSc, FRCPC (Med Derm), FAAD, MAPWCA, JM

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