About the Theorist

• Born as Katharine Arnold on December 8th 1944, in Cleveland, Ohio

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  Diploma in nursing from St. Luke's Hospital School of Nursing in 1965

• Graduated from the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University in 1987

• Graduated with PhD in nursing and received certificate of authority clinical nursing specialist in 1997

• Specialized in Gerontology, End of Life and Long Term Care Interventions, Comfort Studies, Instrument Development, Nursing Theory, Nursing Research

• Currently an associate professor of nursing at the University of Akron College of Nursing

• Published Comfort Theory and Practice: a Vision for Holistic Health Care and Research

  
  
  

  

• 1944 Katharine Arnold (Kolcaba) born in Cleveland, Ohio

• 1965 Graduated with diploma of nursing from St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing

• 1987 Graduated with RN MSN from Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU)

• 1987 Began teaching at The University of Akron College of Nursing

• 1991-2001 Development of Comfort Theory

• 1991 Published article: An analysis of the concept of comfort. Journal of Advanced Nursing.

• Analysis of the word “comfort,” from its Latin roots to the meaning in everyday language. Article also includes how the word has been used in the history of nursing, from Nightingale (1859), Harmer (1926), Goodnow (1935), Orlando (1961), Watson (1979) and Hamilton (1989)

• 1991 Published article: A taxonomic structure for the concept of nursing. Journal of Nursing Scholarship.

• Began development of cell grid diagraming types of comfort and context in which comfort occurs

• 1994 Published article: A theory of holistic comfort in nursing. Journal of Advanced Nursing.

• Began developing a diagram of the aspects of comfort. Article also includes six defining factors that examine why comfort is a significant middle range theory

• 1995 Published article: The art of comfort care. Journal of Nursing Scholarship.

• Describes benefits of including comfort care into practice. Article includes testimony from a student nurse who applied comfort care to practice. Began development of comfort as a standard outcome of nursing

• 1997 Graduated with PhD Nursing from Case Western Reserve University

• 1997 Developed web site called The Comfort Linehttp://www.thecomfortline.com

• Name comes from a method of determining levels of comfort in children in which a vertical 10cm line is drawn and patients rate their level of current comfort between the statements of “ I feel as comfortable as possible” and “I am as uncomfortable as possible”

• 2000 Published article: Empirical evidence for the nature of holistic comfort. Journal of Holistic Nursing.

• Comfort Theory tested and analyzed for validity

• 2001 Published article: Evolution of the mid-range theory of comfort for outcomes research. Nursing Outlook.

• Article written to be a guide on the evolution of comfort as a theory and describing how comfort can be tested and adapted to the rapidly changing health care environment

• 2003 Published book Comfort Theory and Practice: A Vision for Holistic Health Care and Research

• 2005 Published article: Comfort Theory and its application to pediatric nursing. Pediatric Nursing.

• Article applies Comfort Theory to pediatrics, while explaining the current approach to pediatrics as attempting to relieve discomfort

• 2007 Retired from full time teaching, continues to teach part time while developing and researching Comfort Theory