Development of Theory

• In the 1980's, a modern inquiry of comfort began. Comfort activities were observed. Meanings of comfort were explored. Comfort was conceptualized as multidimensional (emotional, physical, spiritual). Nurses provided comfort through environmental interventions.
• It was in this decade that Kolcaba began to develop a theory of comfort when she was a graduate student at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, Ohio.
• Kolcaba's (1992) theory was based on the work of earlier nurse theorists, including Orlando (1961), Benner, Henderson, Nightingale, Watson (1979), and Henderson and Paterson. Other non-nursing influences on Kolcaba's work included Murray (1938). The theory was developed using induction (from practice and experience), deduction (through logic), and from retroaction concepts (concepts from other theories).
• The basis of Kolcaba's theory is a taxonomic structure or grid that has 12 cells (Kolcaba, 1991; Kolcaba& Fisher, 1996). Three types of comfort are listed at the top of the grid and four contexts in which comfort occurs are listed down the side of the grid. The three types are relief, ease and transcendence. The four contexts are physical, psycho-spiritual, sociocultural and environmental.
• Kolcaba (2003,2004) wrote that the first step in developing the Theory of Comfort was a concept analysis conducted in 1988 while she was a graduate student. Following a number of steps over seceral years, the Theory of Comfort was initially publishec in 1994, and later modified (Kolcaba, 1994, 2001).