Katharine Kolcaba's Comfort Theory

Katharine Kolcaba is a nursing theorists who developed a “Comfort Theory” based on the coursework in her doctoral program, practice, and research. Dr. Kolcaba began her theoretical work by presenting her framework of nursing practice for dementia care which led to the development of the concept of comfort. Dr. Kolcaba is an emeritus associate professor of nursing at the University of Akron and holds an adjunct position at Ursuline College. She remains very active and continues to conduct comfort studies (Alligood, 2014). The focus of this paper is to provide a conceptual analysis of “Comfort Theory,” introduced by Katharine Kolcaba.

Kolcaba defines “comfort care as a holistic, individualistic, creative, and efficient model of nursing” (Kolcaba,

The concept of health care needs includes physical, psychospiritual, social, and environmental needs that arise for patients in stressful health care situations. The concept of nursing interventions outlines nursing actions that promote comfort care. The concept of the intervening variables described as factors that influence recipient’s perception of comfort and affect outcomes. The concept of comfort defined as the immediate result of nursing interventions. Health seeking behaviors concept defined as “patient actions, which serve as predictors or indicators of improved health, categorized as internal (e.g., healing, immune function), external (e.g., functional status, a perception of health), or as a peaceful death” (Kolcaba, 2001, p.91). The concept of institutional integrity defined as the value, financial stability, and wholeness of health care organizations based on patient satisfaction and outcomes (see Appendix B for comfort theory

Where a patient further defined as any recipient of comfort care (individual, nurse, family, institution, community). The environment described as any aspect of recipient’s setting that can be manipulated to enhance comfort. Health is the optimal functioning level as defined by the recipient of care (Alligood, 2014). Comfort Theory can further be classified as predictive, as it demonstrates and predicts the relationship between the nursing interventions and achievement of enhanced comfort. I would further classify it as an outcome theory as it portrays the nursing process as the changing force that enables a patient to achieve a state of comfort and demonstrate health-seeking