Introduction
This paper seeks to evaluate Katharine Kolcaba’s mid-range theory of comfort and the way it was used in a study on palliative care conducted by Meghani (2004). Initially, Kolcaba’s main concepts and theoretical relationships will be described. Secondly, the design of Meghani’s study methodology and findings will be summed up. Lastly, the evidence of how Meghani’s study demonstrates and supports Kolcaba’s theoretical concepts through empirical illustration will be discussed.
Kolcaba’s Comfort Theory
Comfort, which is identified as the primary goal of nursing care in Kolcaba’s theory, was developed at the turn of the 190-th century. According to this theory, patients experience comfort in four interconnected contexts: physical, psychospiritual, environmental, and sociocultural (Kolcaba, 2003). Physical comfort refers to physical sensations, while psychospiritual comfort is related to consciousness and emotions. The external environment is associated with environmental comfort; interpersonal relationships are linked to sociocultural comfort. Kolcaba hypothesized that by determining the needs of patient comfort and transforming them into specific nursing interventions, overall comfort can be increased. This results in better patient outcomes, such as enhanced functional status, more favorable health-seeking behaviors, and greater satisfaction with care. Kolcaba’s theory has three main concepts: patient healthcare needs, nursing interventions, and outcomes. The comfort of the patient is another role played by healthcare needs. Nursing interventions refer to actions that can be taken in an attempt to meet patient needs (Godshall, 2019, pp. 57-58). Patient outcomes are the actual end effects realized through the strengthening of patient comfort by nursing intervention. The central relationship is that through nursing actions aimed at identified patient needs, comfort may be supported and outcomes enhanced.
Meghan’s Study on Comfort in Palliative Care
Attempting to validate Kolcaba’s theoretical propositions, Meghani (2004) conducted a descriptive and correlational study of comfort requisites among palliative care cancer patients with the association between quality of life as per connections relating them together. The convenience sample of 73 hospitalized palliative care patients measured comfort with the General Comfort Questionnaire along with the quality of life using the Hospice Quality of Life Index-Revised. The most common comfort needs Meghani revealed were physical, such as pain, weakness, nausea, and position. Psychospiritual needs, including anxiety and depression, were the second most prevalent category, followed by environmental needs with regard to noise and lighting (Godshall, 2019, pp. 57-58). Sociocultural needs about relationships were the least common. Comfort, in general, has a positive correlation with the quality of life, supporting Kolcaba’s proposition that an enhanced level of comfort leads to better patient results.
Links Between Theory and Research
Several critical influencers of Meghani’s study are found in Kolcaba’s theory. First, the four comfort needs Meghanihani studied each of the four comfort contexts discussed in Kolcaba’s theory. Second, Meghani documented palliative patient comfort needs similar to Kolcaba’s methodology of assessing the need as a first step in enduringness. Third, the objective of assessing patient needs was to determine relevant nursing interventions that were intended to enhance comfort, and this corresponds with Kolcaba’s concept of intervention. Fourth, the positive association revealed between comfort and quality of life corresponds to Kolcaba’s postulated linkage between heightened sensitivity and better results. Lastly, the palliative care setting was an excellent environment for testing the theory because maximizing comfort is one of its central objectives (Godshall, 2019, pp. 57-58). This study of Meghani supports the key concepts, relationships, and applicability of Kolcaba’s comfort theory with empirical evidence.
Conclusion
Kolcaba’s mid-range nursing theory of comfort stipulates that addressing needs related to comfort across four contexts and using suitable provider interventions can strengthen patient confidence, eventually leading to improved results. As Meghani’s descriptive correlational study in palliative patients serves as a model example, one can see how an established nursing theory leads to research. The data provided by Meghani serve as empirical justification for the fundamental aspects of Kolcaba’s theoretical framework. This, in turn, shows the importance of nursing theories that can produce evidence to improve patient care.
Work Cited
Godshall, Maryann, ed. Fast facts for evidence-based practice in nursing. Springer Publishing Company, 2019.
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