Comfort is a complex term and carries different meanings for different people. Comfort can be defined as an act of soothing a person who is in distress. It is expected to provide relief to the person from the previous distress and helps to make life easy. A thing or a person or a quiet environment can offer comfort to a person who is uneasy. Comfort can also be defined as a calming process or a process that makes the person cheerful or hopeful. For example, an elderly person who lives alone, may feel comfortable when there is someone to talk and helps them to overcome loneliness. Something that provides relief from loneliness, may comfort the person. For some, transcendence equates to comfort. Praying is one way by which people connect to something perfect and feel comfortable about it. The comfort theory is about the application of comfort to nursing practice. (Kolcaba, 2003)
In the 1900s, Katherine Kolcaba contributed to the comfort theory through research and empirical testing. She recommended the application of the theory in health care settings and nursing practice. Katherine Kolcaba graduated in nursing with a PhD and she specialized in Gerontology. Comfort theory is a middle range nursing theory. According to this theory, nursing is described as the process of assessing patient comfort and implementing interventions that will help them achieve comfort. Both subjective and objective assessments are done to understand patient needs. Comfort in nursing is discussed in the context of 4 main themes: physical comfort, psychospiritual comfort, sociocultural comfort and environment. A holistic approach to comfort will involve the above 4 themes. It also promotes health seeking behavior, which, in turn, results in better patient outcomes. (Smith & Parker, 2015)
Physical comfort: Better bedding and positioning of the patient is very critical for comfort. Proper positioning can help relieve pain, discomfort, reduce symptoms and regain homeostasis. This is particularly important in older patients. Some elderly patient may have problem sitting for long and may want to lie down intermittently. Better bedding arrangements will help reduce ulcers, pain and other form of discomfort. Ensuring comfort will help the patient to regain strength and meet his/her needs. (Kolcaba, 2003)
Psychospiritual comfort is connected to the person’s concept of self-esteem and self-image. It is important that nursing care is provided without damaging the person’s right to dignity. For example, a patient who needs assistance with using the bathroom, may find it embarrassing. It is important that the nurse understands the sensitivity of the situation and acts in a manner that the patient is not ashamed about himself. The sociocultural theme concerns the attitude and behavior of the nursing staffs towards the patient and family. A friendly greeting and friendly approach to the patient will make them more comfortable and help to reduce stress. Likewise, hospital environment, in terms of architecture, smell, noises, etc., can influence the person’s comfort. (Kolcaba, 2003)
A real life situation where one can apply comfort theory is patient satisfaction. Achieving patient comfort will help the hospitals achieve patient satisfaction. Timely assessment of patient comfort and introducing suitable interventions, will help to meet the needs and help to achieve comfort. It will also help to build a good patient -nurse relationship. Increased patient satisfaction will benefit the hospitals as it will make them popular in a good way. (Tiase, 2003)
I like the comfort theory, as I think it makes sense. Discomfort can affect both physical and mental health. As nurses, I am expected to make the patient feel more comfortable. This theory can help guide me in the process.
References
Kolcaba, K. (2003). Comfort theory and practice. New York: Springer Pub. Co.
Smith, M. & Parker, M. (2015). Nursing theories and nursing practice (4th ed.). Philadelphia: F.A. Davis.
Tiase, V. (2003). Comfort Theory and Practice. AORN Journal, 78(5), 868-869. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s0001-2092(06)60651-0
