KATHARINE KOLCABA and evaluation of patient comfort.

( Kolcaba, 1991)
Biography:  Comfort as a product of holistic nursing
art. ( Kolcaba K, 1995)
Name: Dr. Katherine Kolkalba, RN
 A broader theory for comfort was
Born: Dec. 8, 1944 in Cleveland, Ohio introduced ( Kolcaba KY,(1994).
 The theory has undergone refinement
Educational Attainment
and tested for its applicability.
 Diploma in Nursing- St. Luke’s Hospital WHAT triggered Kolcaba to make the theory?
(1965)
 MSN- Frances Payne Bolton School of -Katherine Kolcaba originally wrote the Theory
Nursing (1987) of Comfort with Alzheimer’s and dementia
 PhD and Clinical Nursing Specialist patients in mind. Her specialization in
(1997) Gerontology is a huge factor.

Employment

 Theory Development Research

Section, Co-Chair.
THE COMFORT THEORY
 Consultant, The Comfort Line (online
website ang
https://www.thecomfortline.com/)
 Specialization: Gerontology, End of life
and Long Term Care interventions,
Comfort Studies, Instrumental
Development, Nursing Theory, Nursing
Research
Theory:
DEVELOPMENT of theory ( e flow chart lng
sis a PPT guro nya e simplify explain lng
futher)
 a nursing theory that was first
developed in the 1990s by Katharine
Kolcaba
 a mid-range theory for health practice,
education, and research
 Patient’s need is the bases of this
humanistic and holistic theory.
o Holistic nursing is a practice of
nursing that focuses on healing
the whole person.

 Kolcaba conducted a concept analysis

of comfort that examined literature
from several disciplines including
nursing, medicine, psychology,
psychiatry, ergonomics, and English
 First, three types of comfort (relief,
ease, transcendence) and four contexts
of holistic human experience in
differing aspects of therapeutic
contexts were introduced. (Kolcaba KY
& Kolcaba RJ, 1991)
 A taxonomic structure was developed
to guide for assessment, measurement,
COMFORT- “The state of having addressed
basic needs for ease, relief, and transcendence
met in four context (physical, psychospiritual,
sociocultural, and environmental)”

Types of COMFORT

1. Relief- a state where in specific

comfort needs of a patient are met

FOUR types of CONTEXT in which patient

COMFORT can occur

1. Physical- bodily sensations and

homeostatic mechanisms

2. Ease- comfort in a state of

contentment

2. Psychospiritual- internal self-

awareness

3. Transcendence-comfort in which
3. Sociocultural- interpersonal
patients are able to overcome their
relationship
obstacles

4. Environmental- the external factors of
human experiences
ASSUMPTIONS
TAXONOMIC STRUCTURE
- help us identify comfort, needs ,design
interventions targeted to those needs,
and measure the effectiveness of those
interventions.
METAPARADIGMS
 Nursing- the process of assessing the
patient's comfort needs, developing
and implementing appropriate nursing
interventions, and evaluating patient
comfort following nursing
interventions. GOAL: to provide
comfort
 Patient- individual, family ; or
community in need of health care
 Environment- aspect of the patient,
family, or institutional surroundings
that can be manipulated by a nurse(s),
or loved one(s) to enhance comfort.
 Health- is considered to be optimal
functioning, as defined by the patient,
group, family or community
 Human beings have holistic responses
to stimuli.
 Comfort is holistic outcome of
effective nursing care
 Humans have a need for comfort and
will seek comfort wherever possible
 Nurses are in a position to identify the
comfort needs of their patients, design
comfort, measures, and assess
outcomes to support enhanced
comfort.
EXAMPLES of theory usage
 Motivating patients who are in therapy
that one day their body will work
normally again
 Coaching a patient throughout her
labor and delivery
 Giving a warm blanket to a patient after
a surgery
 Providing a quiet room to a patient who
is in need of sleep and rest