Comfort Theory Research Paper
Final Paper in Comfort Theory
Ruben Perez NGR 5110
July 15th, 2013.
Prof. Dr. Daniel Little
Nursing Scenario
I chose this scenario which is appropriate for the application of Kolcaba’s Comfort theory:
You are a nurse on an inpatient oncology unit. Your patient is a 72-year-old competent male who has been told his cancer is terminal and that further treatment is unlikely to have any benefit. He accepts that and would like to explore hospice. However, his two adult children insist that he should continue chemotherapy and fight on and they tell you not to discuss with him or get a consult for hospice.
Specific Concepts of the Theory
In order to address this scenario I used the middle range theory of Comfort and its specific concepts. This paper aims to describe the Comfort Theory, its application to the health care setting and areas for potential research and its relevance to the health care system. Comfort is an immediate desirable outcome that leads to excellent care in the nursing profession. Comfort is a vital part of the treatment and recovery of patients. Comfort is a cause of relief from discomfort, a state of ease and peaceful satisfaction, a state of comfort and whatever makes life pleasurable. (Kolcaba & Kolcaba, 1991).
This theory addresses the most relevant issues in the nursing kingdom. Using this theory not just for patients, but for nurses will improve recruitment and retention rates of skilled health care professionals. Providing comfort is a necessity in the care of clients on inpatient oncologic unit. Currently, comfort is being viewed as a last result for terminally ill patients and not used as a standard hospital protocol or prophylactically to improve client’s health status. The main purpose of Comfort Theory is to improve patient’s satisfaction and outcomes as well as improve institutional integrity. As a middle range theory, Comfort theory is practically based and can be used in direct response to this specific clinical scenario
Ruben Perez NGR 5110
July 15th, 2013.
Prof. Dr. Daniel Little
Nursing Scenario
I chose this scenario which is appropriate for the application of Kolcaba’s Comfort theory:
You are a nurse on an inpatient oncology unit. Your patient is a 72-year-old competent male who has been told his cancer is terminal and that further treatment is unlikely to have any benefit. He accepts that and would like to explore hospice. However, his two adult children insist that he should continue chemotherapy and fight on and they tell you not to discuss with him or get a consult for hospice.
Specific Concepts of the Theory
In order to address this scenario I used the middle range theory of Comfort and its specific concepts. This paper aims to describe the Comfort Theory, its application to the health care setting and areas for potential research and its relevance to the health care system. Comfort is an immediate desirable outcome that leads to excellent care in the nursing profession. Comfort is a vital part of the treatment and recovery of patients. Comfort is a cause of relief from discomfort, a state of ease and peaceful satisfaction, a state of comfort and whatever makes life pleasurable. (Kolcaba & Kolcaba, 1991).
This theory addresses the most relevant issues in the nursing kingdom. Using this theory not just for patients, but for nurses will improve recruitment and retention rates of skilled health care professionals. Providing comfort is a necessity in the care of clients on inpatient oncologic unit. Currently, comfort is being viewed as a last result for terminally ill patients and not used as a standard hospital protocol or prophylactically to improve client’s health status. The main purpose of Comfort Theory is to improve patient’s satisfaction and outcomes as well as improve institutional integrity. As a middle range theory, Comfort theory is practically based and can be used in direct response to this specific clinical scenario
References: Goodwin, M., Sener, I., & Steiner, S. H. (2007). A novel theory for nursing education: Holistic comfort Kolcaba, K, & DiMarco, M. (2005). Comfort theory and its application to pediatric nursing. 31(3), 187-193. Kolcaba, K., Tilton, C., & Drouin, C. (2006). Comfort theory: A unifying framework to enhance the practice environment Kolcaba, K. Y., & Kolcaba, R. J. (1991). An analysis of the concept of comfort. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 16(11), 1301‐1310. Kolcaba, K. (2001). Evolution of the mid range theory of comfort for outcomes research March, A., & McCormack, D. (2009). Nursing theory‐directed healthcare: Modifying kolcaba 's comfort theory as an institution‐wide approach Peterson, S., & Bredow, T. (2009). Middle range theories: application to nursing research. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer. Tutton, E., & Seers, K. (2003). An exploration of the concept of comfort. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 12(5), 689‐696.