Kolcaba's website

"Comfort is the product of holistic nursing art" 

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.