Chinese nurse wins Florence Nightingale Medal for dedication to patient care
(ECNS) -- Xing Hong, chief oncology nurse at Shanghai General Hospital, has been awarded the 50th Florence Nightingale Medal for her outstanding contributions to nursing, the Shanghai Red Cross Society announced Monday.
Born in October 1966, Xing has dedicated 39 years to front-line nursing, specializing in the care of patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis.
Xing has achieved multiple national "firsts" in peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) care.
She performed the first successful PICC insertion in Shanghai, authored China's first PICC nursing protocol, led the formulation of the country's first Expert Consensus on Ultrasound-Guided PICC Placement Techniques, and established the first domestic PICC nursing outpatient clinic.
In the early 1990s, cancer patients in China undergoing chemotherapy often had to endure repeated injections, leading to severe pain, swelling, and even ulceration on the back of their hands. Introducing the PICC technique, Xing helped relieve countless suffering caused by vascular and skin complications.
In 1995, she took the lead in establishing the "Oncology Rehabilitation Salon," where for 30 years, she has volunteered to provide holistic patient care.
Over the past two decades, Xing has expanded her efforts beyond Shanghai, traveling to more than 60 medical institutions across provinces, including Yunnan, Guizhou, and Jiangxi. Nationwide, she has offered face-to-face, hands-on training in intravenous therapy techniques and theory to frontline nursing staff and has completed over 1,000 off-site specialist consultations.
Xing said that throughout her career, she has focused on one thing – putting a smile on a cancer patient's face. "Their trust in me is the greatest motivation to keep me going."
This is the second time a nurse from Shanghai General Hospital has received this prestigious honor. Previously, Head Nurse Shi Meili was awarded Shanghai's first Florence Nightingale Medal in 1987.
(By Gong Weiwei)