Comfort Theory and Practice: A Vision for Holistic Health Care and Research

by Katharine Kolcaba PhD, RN, C

Overview

"I am most excited and impressed with the scope and focus of this work. As I began to read it, I had trouble putting it down. It is highly readable, engaging, all-inclusive, and most informative."
Jean Watson, RN, PhD, HNC, FAAN

"I am honored and delighted to recommend this text for all nurses who cared for and care about patients."
from the Foreword by May Wykle, RN, PhD, FAAN

This book places comfort at the forefront of nursing care, by presenting a carefully researched theory of comfort that nurses can use as a framework for practice. Engagingly written, the book combines a first-person account of the development of the theory with supporting research, and practical information for its application. Kolcaba analyzes the concept of comfort; describes its physical, psychospiritual, environmental and sociocultural components; evaluates its meaning in the many different contexts in which health care occurs; and describes how it can be measured. The appendix includes comfort care questionnaires that can be used with patients in many settings, and a comfort scale that can be used with patients for a quick assessment of comfort. Clinicians, researchers, educators, and students will find this holistic approach helpful in setting priorities and parameters for patient care.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826197269
Publisher:	Springer Publishing Company
Publication date:	12/30/2002
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	9 MB

About the Author

Katharine Kolcaba, PhD, RN, C, is an Associate Professor at The University of Akron College of Nursing, where she enjoys teaching Comfort Care at different student levels.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments

1. The Seeds of Inquiry
2. The Mission
3. Measuring Comfort
4. Philosophical Perspectives
5. Theoretical Explorations
6. Attributes of Comfort
7. The Experiments
8. The Ethics of Comfort Care
9. Mission Updated
10. Visions of Comfort for the Future

References
Appendices
Appendix A: General Comfort Questionnaire
Appendix B: Radiation Therapy Comfort Questionnaire
Appendix C: Comfort Lines
Appendix D: Peri-Operative Comfort Questionnaire
Appendix E: Modified Karnofsky Performance Status Scale
Appendix F: Hospice Comfort Questionnaire
Appendix G: American Nurses Association Code of Ethics
Appendix H: International Council of Nurses Code for Nurses
Appendix I: FAQs from The Comfort Line
Glossary
Index

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Engagingly written, the book combines a fascinating first-person account of the development of the theory with supporting research, and practical information for its application."—Doody Enterprises, Inc.

Editorial Reviews

4 Stars! from Doody

Reviewer: Jayalakshmi Jambunathan, PhD, MSN, MA, BSN, BSc (University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh)
Description: In this compilation of work on patient comfort, the author presents material about comfort topically and chronologically from conception through to the development of a theory for education, research, and practice.
Purpose: This is a much needed and worthy book as it enables an understanding of the author's enumeration and pertinent description of the chronological events that led to the development of her theory of comfort. The purpose of the book is to provide a blueprint for the application of comfort theory in practice, education, research, and quality improvement.
Audience: The book is mostly oriented toward practicing nurses. However, since the concept is not limited to nursing alone, the theory can be used in interdisciplinary fields of healthcare as well — by any practitioner who works with patients or groups in need of healthcare. In essence, comfort care can unify healthcare practice since its orientation focuses on the common element of patients. The author seems to be a credible authority in the field, based on her record of publications chronicling the process of concept development of comfort through to the evolution of the theory.
Features: The book presents the various segments of work about comfort, beginning with defining comfort from the patient's perspective, then discussing the measurement system used to validate this concept, the importance and placement of the concept within the context of a theory for healthcare, and the evolution of the theory for the 21st century. The book is engaging, user-friendly, personal, and integrates practice and research throughout, and hence can serve as a guide for blending healthcare with outcomes research. There is a lengthy reference list at the end of the book, along with specific tools to measure comfort. The glossary and tools will be valuable for evidence-based practice for nurses and other healthcare practitioners as they embark on understanding this important concept and try to validate it in their practice. Although the author briefly discusses her "mythic" vision of global comfort, and the request by select international nurses to use her theory, a chapter on how comfort is conceptualized and can be measured cross-culturally will benefit an international audience of healthcare practitioners.
Assessment: Comfort is a positive patient outcome, and hence its importance in healthcare cannot be underestimated. This book is valuable in delineating the concept of comfort and the development of a theory for use in education, practice, and research. The engaging and personal nature of the book will surely appeal to both nurses and other practitioners, since they will be able to relate to experiences similar to the author's in trying to capture the rudimentary and fundamental essence of their own practice.

Doody's Review Service