KATHARINE KOLCABA and evaluation of patient comfort.
( Kolcaba, 1991)
Biography: Comfort as a product of holistic nursing
art. ( Kolcaba K, 1995)
Name: Dr. Katherine Kolkalba, RN
A broader theory for comfort was
Born: Dec. 8, 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio introduced ( Kolcaba KY,(1994).
The theory has undergone refinement
Educational Attainment
and tested for its applicability.
Diploma in Nursing- St. Luke’s Hospital WHAT triggered Kolcaba to make the theory?
(1965)
MSN- Frances Payne Bolton School of -Katherine Kolcaba originally wrote the Theory
Nursing (1987) of Comfort with Alzheimer’s and dementia
PhD and Clinical Nursing Specialist patients in mind. Her specialization in
(1997) Gerontology is a huge factor.
Employment
Theory Development Research
Section, Co-Chair.
THE COMFORT THEORY
Consultant, The Comfort Line (online
website ang a nursing theory that was first
https://www.thecomfortline.com/) developed in the 1990s by Katharine
Specialization: Gerontology, End of life Kolcaba
and Long Term Care interventions, a mid-range theory for health practice,
Comfort Studies, Instrumental education, and research
Development, Nursing Theory, Nursing Patient’s need is the bases of this
Research humanistic and holistic theory.
o Holistic nursing is a practice of
Theory:
nursing that focuses on healing
DEVELOPMENT of theory ( e flow chart lng the whole person.
sis a PPT guro nya e simplify explain lng
futher)
Kolcaba conducted a concept analysis
of comfort that examined literature
from several disciplines including
nursing, medicine, psychology,
psychiatry, ergonomics, and English
First, three types of comfort (relief,
ease, transcendence) and four contexts
of holistic human experience in
differing aspects of therapeutic
contexts were introduced. (Kolcaba KY
& Kolcaba RJ, 1991)
A taxonomic structure was developed
to guide for assessment, measurement,
COMFORT- “The state of having addressed
basic needs for ease, relief, and transcendence
met in four context (physical, psychospiritual,
sociocultural, and environmental)”
Types of COMFORT
1. Relief- a state where in specific
comfort needs of a patient are met
FOUR types of CONTEXT in which patient
COMFORT can occur
1. Physical- bodily sensations and
homeostatic mechanisms
2. Ease- comfort in a state of
contentment
2. Psychospiritual- internal self-
awareness
3. Transcendence-comfort in which
3. Sociocultural- interpersonal
patients are able to overcome their
relationship
obstacles
interventions. GOAL: to provide
comfort
Patient- individual, family ; or
community in need of health care
Environment- aspect of the patient,
family, or institutional surroundings
that can be manipulated by a nurse(s),
or loved one(s) to enhance comfort.
Health- is considered to be optimal
functioning, as defined by the patient,
4. Environmental- the external factors of group, family or community
human experiences
ASSUMPTIONS
Human beings have holistic responses
to stimuli.
Comfort is holistic outcome of
effective nursing care
Humans have a need for comfort and
will seek comfort wherever possible
Nurses are in a position to identify the
comfort needs of their patients, design
comfort, measures, and assess
TAXONOMIC STRUCTURE outcomes to support enhanced
- help us identify comfort, needs ,design comfort.
interventions targeted to those needs,
and measure the effectiveness of those
interventions. EXAMPLES of theory usage
Motivating patients who are in therapy
that one day their body will work
normally again
Coaching a patient throughout her
labor and delivery
Giving a warm blanket to a patient after
a surgery
Providing a quiet room to a patient who
is in need of sleep and rest
METAPARADIGMS
Nursing- the process of assessing the
patient's comfort needs, developing
and implementing appropriate nursing
interventions, and evaluating patient
comfort following nursing
