Comparing Family Centered Care and Comfort Care Approaches

Similarities between Comfort Care and Family Centered Care
Family centred care and comfort care theory both work for the well being of patient. Family centred care focus to work with family while providing care for the sick child. Family and pediatric staff works in collaboration to make care plan that works the best for sick child (Coyne, O'Neill, Murphy, & Costello, 2011). Similarly, comfort care theory focus on child’s physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environmental aspects. “When comfort needs are addressed in one context, total comfort is enhanced in the remaining context” (Kolcaba & Dimarco, 2005, p. 190). When nurses apply comfort care theory, it is to achieve holistic care of sick children by focusing on all aspects (Kolcaba

& Dimarco, 2005). Comfort theory involves other disciplines to achieve its goals. For instance; nurse will involve translator if there is language barrier to provide holistic care (Kolcaba & Dimarco, 2005).
Both theories believe in patient’s comfort. Family centred care involves family and health care providers (HCP) to make care plan for the comfort of child. For instance, both parents and HCP work in partnership to make a plan that best fit child’s needs; therefore, child’s comfort is definite (Bridgeman, 1999). Comfort care theory also emphasize on patient’s comfort holistically. Comfort is immediate outcome of comfort care theory (Kolcaba K. , 2003). Pediatric nurse identify need for relief, ease, and transcendence; therefore, ensure patients comfort (Kolcaba & Dimarco, 2005).
Both theories work in partnership. Family centred care partnership between family and HCP; similarly, comfort care theory partnership between nurses and other disciplines. Family centred theory focus on plan of care that is initiated by HCP team and family members. This theory believes in family’s wishes and expectations (Kuo, et al., 2012). Care plan includes cultural values and personal needs of child (Kuo, et al., 2012). In comfort care theory nurses involve other discipline to achieve outcomes. For instance, involving translators for the patients with language barrier is one example (Kolcaba & Dimarco, 2005).