Introduction
Chosen Theory: Kolcaba’s theory of comfort
Emphasizing comfort in nursing care (Nichols, 2018).
Issue: Pain management
Nurse practitioner specialty: Family Nurse Practitioner
Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort
The Comfort Theory was designed by Katharine Kolcaba in 1990
Comfort is supporting an individual’s needs, providing calmness, and desired outcomes
The theory’s three levels:
- Relief
- Ease
- Transcendence
The Comfort Theory’s Dimensions
The objective of nursing care is comfort
The Comfort Theory assists in enhancing nursing practice
The theory’s four dimensions:
- Physical: exercising, nutrition, general health
- Psychospiritual: psychology, spirituality, and morals
- Environmental: climate, safety, noise
- Sociocultural: family, finances, networks
Theory’s Relevance to Family Nurse Practitioners
The Comfort Theory assists in:
- Providing holistic, person-centered nursing care
- Incorporating family members into the care plan
- Assessing patients’ comfort levels
- Improving health outcomes
Pain Management
Patients suffering from pain compromise physical and psychological health
Pain management is vital for family nurse practitioners
The lack of training and information regarding pain management negatively influences effective treatment plan implementation
Non-Pharmacological Pain Management
Positive treatment relationships between nurses and patients necessitate the cultivation of trust
Integrating family members
Awareness of the patients’ needs diversity
Extensive training
Enhancing the nurse-patient interaction via obtaining additional information about patients
Non-Pharmacological Techniques
Used to treat emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and sociocultural aspects of pain
- Breathing techniques
- Massaging
- Positioning
- Music therapy
- Nutrition
- Exercising
- Relaxation
Barriers to implementation of non-pharmacological pain management:
- Lack of knowledge, experience, and time
Recommendations:
- Include non-pharmacological pain treatment strategies in nursing curricula
- Encourage ongoing education and training
Evidence-Based Practice: Children after Surgery
The Comfort Theory:
- Decreases children’s pain and anxiety after surgery
- Boost satisfaction in children and their families
- Removes emotional anguish and hemodynamic instability
- Should be suggested to nurses as an efficient evidence-based practice
Evidence-Based Practice: Children with Cancer
The Comfort Theory:
- Allows to offer physical comfort and decrease emotional distress
- Offers unique and effective interventions for pain management
- Such as asking kids to play and draw together
Evidence-Based Practice: Reducing Labor Pain
The Comfort Theory:
- Provides comfort during labor
- Decreases fear and anxiety
- Heat treatment and massage increase women’s comfort levels
- Proper pain management ensures relief in pregnant women (Türkmen & Oran, 2020).
Evidence-Based Practice: Aromatherapy
The Comfort Theory:
- Aromatherapy is an effective therapy for discomfort, anxiety, and stress
- Lavender essential oils have shown effectiveness in alleviating pain
- Aromatherapy increases patients’ comfort during local anesthetic injections and dry needling procedures (Kasar et al., 2020).
Evidence-Based Practice: Psychological Nursing Care
The Comfort Theory:
- Psychological nursing care is vital to increasing patients’ comfort
Nurses should:
- Respect patients’ requirements, experiences, and feelings
- Maintain records of patients’ psychological states
- Encourage and motivate patients and families to engage actively
Conclusion: The Theory of Comfort and Pain Management
The primary positive effect of nursing care is comfort
Kolcaba’s comfort theory divides comfort into three stages: relief, ease, and transcendence
Physical, psychospiritual, environmental, and sociocultural are the four theory’s crucial dimensions
The comfort theory is an excellent technique for alleviating pain and improving patient comfort
Conclusion: Evidence-Based Practices
Non-pharmacological interventions are effective: breathing techniques, music therapy, nutrition, sports, and relaxation
The comfort theory increases satisfaction in children and their families
Examples of the evidence-based practices:
- Heat therapy and massage for pregnant women
- Aromatherapy during injections and dry needling
- Creative interventions for children with cancer
Examples of the evidence-based practices:
- Heat therapy and massage for pregnant women
- Aromatherapy during injections and dry needling
- Creative interventions for children with cancer
References
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