Katherine Koolcaba's Theory Of Comfort Is Essential In Nursing

Concept Analysis: Comfort Concept analysis is essential in nursing to produce a more in-depth understanding of the concept being analyzed; thus, improving nursing practice. The foundation for research and theory is built from concept analysis. The concept being analyzed in this paper is comfort. Comfort is the desired goal in nursing practice. All nursing care, including the nursing process (assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation) is implemented to obtain the outcome of comfort ("Kolcaba's Theory of Comfort," n.d.). The purpose of this concept analysis is to define comfort, determine the defining attributes, create a conceptual definition, identify antecedents and consequences, identify a model, borderline, and contrary case,

She conceptualized comfort as existing in three forms: relief, ease, and transcendence. Relief is experienced when the comfort needs of a patient are met. Ease is achieved through a state of contentment, when anxiety is relieved. Transcendence occurs when patients overcome their challenges in achieving comfort. Kolcaba states four contexts in which comfort can occur: physical (pertaining to one’s body), psycho-spiritual (one’s relationship to a higher power), environmental (surroundings of the patient), and socio-cultural (pertains to one’s relationships with family, society, etc.). Kolcaba’s theory presents comfort as an outcome of purposeful, patient-centered, quality care (Kolcaba's Theory of Comfort,

The defining attributes that delineate the concept of comfort are pain-free and ease. Ease is defined as “a state of being comfortable: relief from discomfort or obligation” (Ease, n.d.). A dictionary definition of pain-free did not exist; therefore, the terms pain and free were defined independently. Pain is “usually localized suffering associated with bodily disorder such as disease or an injury; acute mental or emotional distress or suffering” (Pain, n.d.). Free means "relieved from or lacking something and especially something unpleasant or burdensome" (Free, n.d.). Non-health care workers, health care workers, and the dictionary cited the terms pain-free and ease frequently when defining the terms. Ease also occurs as an aspect of Kolcaba’s definition of comfort. Pain-free and ease are the characteristics of comfort that consistently occur when analyzing uses of the