Critical Elements of Comfort Theory
McEwen and Wills (2011) identify several principal concepts of comfort theory:
“comfort, comfort care, comfort measures, comfort needs, health-seeking behaviors, institutional integrity, and interventing variables” (p.234). The Theory of Comfort involves the relationships of the nurse, patient, environment, and health. “Kolcaba (1994, 2001, 2003) has defined comfort as the immediate state of being strengthened through having the human needs for relief, ease, and transcendence addressed in four contexts of experience (physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environmental)” (as cited in Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). The three kinds of comfort can be further defined as relief is the state of being without discomfort, ease is the state of peace and serenity, and transcendence is the state of rising above discomfort (Wilson & Kolcaba, 2004, p.166). Patients experience the three kinds of comfort in four contexts; physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environmental (Wilson & Kolcaba, 2004, p.166).
When you combine the three types of comfort with the four contexts of experience a table defined as a taxonomic structure can be developed and utilized as an assessment tool (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). The following is an example of how a taxonomic structure can be used as an assessment tool to identify patient’s comfort needs.
“comfort, comfort care, comfort measures, comfort needs, health-seeking behaviors, institutional integrity, and interventing variables” (p.234). The Theory of Comfort involves the relationships of the nurse, patient, environment, and health. “Kolcaba (1994, 2001, 2003) has defined comfort as the immediate state of being strengthened through having the human needs for relief, ease, and transcendence addressed in four contexts of experience (physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environmental)” (as cited in Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). The three kinds of comfort can be further defined as relief is the state of being without discomfort, ease is the state of peace and serenity, and transcendence is the state of rising above discomfort (Wilson & Kolcaba, 2004, p.166). Patients experience the three kinds of comfort in four contexts; physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environmental (Wilson & Kolcaba, 2004, p.166).
When you combine the three types of comfort with the four contexts of experience a table defined as a taxonomic structure can be developed and utilized as an assessment tool (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). The following is an example of how a taxonomic structure can be used as an assessment tool to identify patient’s comfort needs.
The three categories of comfort care interventions are standard comfort care interventions, coaching, and “comfort food for the soul” as described by Kolcaba (2003) (as cited in Wilson & Kolcaba, 2004, p. 168-169). Standard comfort care involves providing general nursing care to patients to maintain balance, while coaching involves providing information, listening, relieving anxiety and instilling hope (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). Comfort food for the soul involves the special acts that nurses perform for patients such as giving massages, hand holding, changing the environment, providing touch and music therapies (Wilson & Kolcaba, 2004, p.169). The following table shows an example of the three different types of comfort interventions.