Believably, Katherine Kolcaba’s Comfort theory is one of the nursing theories that have found a lot of utility in the modern-day provision of nursing care. This comes at a time when there is the acknowledgement and acceptance of the fact that the healing and hence the comfort needs of a patient are tethered to three components, which include; the mind, body and soul (KOLCABA, 2015). A patient needs cannot be met holistically if all the comfort and well-being needs of these three areas have not been met. According to Katherine, the concept of comfort is pillared on three main sub-concepts- “relief, ease and transcendence” and this make it an essential role of the nurse to ensure that the patient is free from pain, anxiety and rises above his/her unique challenges, either psychological, environmental or physiological (KOLCABA, 2015).
I am quite in agreement with you that comfort needs vary from one patient to another and this is something that is shaped by the peculiar individual characteristics and situation. In this regard, there is an underscoring to conduct a patient/family-centered assessment in order to understand their unique comfort needs and subsequently come up with interventions intended to comfort (Masters, 2014). In an overall, this theory views nursing care as an art that is essentially based on interpersonal relationships and engaging with the patient in a manner that fosters comfort and optimism. This is something that should be reflected through nurse’s altruistic interactions that are founded on compassion and empathy.
In the contemporary healthcare landscape, where there is intense emphasis on quality and patient satisfaction, there is convincingly the need to embrace Katherine Kolcaba’s Comfort theory in order to promote the achievement of patient outcomes in a holistic manner and this may explain why the incorporation of this theory into practice is a key driver towards achieving a Magnet status.
References
KOLCABA, K. (2015). Katharine Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory. Nursing theories and nursing practice, 381.
Masters, K. (2014). Nursing theories: A framework for professional practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
