To pay tribute to thousands of nurses worldwide for their selfless dedication and commitment to their profession, International Nurses Day (IND) is celebrated annually on May 12 by the International Council of Nursing (ICN). The Nurses Week runs from May 9 to 15 this year.

It is also a day for nurses worldwide to celebrate their profession and unite to take pride in their jobs and show the world the importance of their work.
The reason that Nurses Day is held on the 12th May each year is because this is the birth date of Florence Nightingale. She made many reforms to nursing and health care and drastically cut the death rate amongst soldiers in the Crimean War as a result of her hard work, dedication and training of fellow nurses.

The International Nurses Day theme for 2010 is: Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Chronic Care. The celebration recognizes how the provision of quality care for patients suffering from chronic disorders can reduce the number of risks and complications. Chronic diseases such as arthritis, rheumatism, diabetes, and asthma are known to progress very slowly and can persist for several years even for life. These conditions can be prevented or controlled with regular routine checkups, efficient communication, and good relationship between patients and health care professionals, as well as good nursing facilities.

The IND kit 2010, contains educational and public information materials, for use by nurses everywhere. You can download the kit here for use by individual nurses, associations, health ministries and health institutions. This material has already been disseminated to national nurses’ associations worldwide. Though mainly planned around May 12 each year, IND activities continue for much of the year by nurses and others. We encourage nurses everywhere to make extended use of the Delivering Quality, Serving Communities: Nurses Leading Chronic Care kit throughout the year, through individual action and group activities.