Friday, July 6, 2012
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Comfort may be a blanket or breeze,
Some ointment her to soothe my knees;
A listening ear to heat my woes,
A pair of footies to warm my toes;
A PRN medication to ease my pain,
Someone to reassure me once again;
A call from my doctor, or even a friend,
A rabbi or priest as my life nears the end.
Comfort is whatever I perceive it to be,
A necessary thing defined only by me.
- S.D. Lawrence (student nurse)
(Kolcaba, 1995. P.289)
"I believe that the opposite of Comfort is Suffering."- Kolcaba
Comfort is the fundamental
goal of nursing profession. Each and every time a nurse attends to her
patient, comfort is the initial consideration. A nurse is regard as
effective when she makes her patient comfortable. Several of the scientific
amendments in the medical and nursing practice in the present time have
directed more on methods and outcome benefits than on comfort of the
patient. Kolcaba defined comfort within nursing practice as “the
satisfaction (actively, passively or cooperatively) of the basic human
needs for relief, ease, or transcendence arising from health care
situations that are stressful.” She explained that client’s needs take
place from a stimulus situation and can cause negative tension.
Increasing comfort can result in having negative tensions reduced and
positive tensions engaged. Comfort is viewed as an outcome of care that
can promote and facilitate health-seeking behaviors. It is speculated
that increasing comfort can augment health seeking behaviors, as stated
by Kolcaba, “if enhanced comfort is achieved, patients and family
members are strengthened to engage health-seeking behaviors.” This can
further develop comfort. It was in 1980s that Kolcaba started to establish a theory of comfort when she was a graduate student at Case western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio. Her theory of comfort was originally published in 1994 and was considered as a Middle Range Nursing Theory.
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