Nursing Theory Concept
This assignment presents a modified method for conducting a concept analysis of ‘one’ concept that is important and useful to the nurse practitioner role. The concept for this assignment must be supported by a published nursing-theory. The selected concept is identified and then the elements of the analysis process are applied in order to synthesize knowledge for application as demonstrated through the creation of a model case. Theoretical applications of the concept are also discussed. Non-nursing theories may ‘not’ be used. Scholarly literature is incorporated throughout the analysis.
The worksheet should be typed, double spaced, and written in complete sentences. (Concept Analysis Worksheet) (Links to an external site.)
Reference page and in-text citations must follow APA guidelines as found in the current edition of the manual.
The source of the concept for this assignment must be a published nursing Non-nursing theories may not be used.
A minimum of 4 (four) scholarly references must be used. Required textbooks for this course, and Chamberlain College of Nursing lesson information may not be used as scholarly references for this assignment. A dictionary maybe used as a reference for the section titled “Definition/Explanation of the selected nursing concept”, but it is not counted as one of the 4 required scholarly nursing references. Be aware that information from .com websites may be incorrect and should be avoided.
References are current – within a 5-year time frame unless a valid rationale is provided and the instructor has approved them.
Ideas and information from scholarly, peer reviewed, nursing sources must be cited and referenced correctly.
Rules of grammar, spelling, word usage, and punctuation are followed and consistent with formal, scientific writing.
Please note: Do not rely on .com sites to identify the nursing theory as they do not provide accurate information in all cases.
Sample Answer
Concept Analysis- Comfort
Definition/Explanation of the selected nursing concept:
Comfort is a nursing concept that differs from patient to patient in the nursing profession. Kolcaba (2010) defines comfort as the immediate outcome that a patient needs to remain strengthened when they need relief, ease, and transcendence in the context of experience, environmental, spiritual, and sociocultural conditions. It is difficult to determine what to do to give a patient comfort. Comfort levels will keep increasing if comfort is delivered consistently over time because it creates a trend that correlates with time. A comfort zone creates a desired health-seeking behaviors for patients, thus promoting an improved institutional outcome.
Comfort is the state of meeting basic human needs that makes a person get the required relief, ease, and transcendence (Kolcaba, 2010). A clear definition of comfort in the nursing literature is lacking. The tolerable level of comfort that a patient needs is said to be their comfort level. The comfort level does not mean discomfort is dealt with completely; it only denotes that the patient can tolerate the current situation or what is felt. The effectiveness of an intervention can be determined in a clinical setting using the comfort zones of patients.
Research shows that comfort in nursing practice is the active, passive, or co-operatively satisfaction of basic human needs to give relief, ease, and transcendence which might have resulted from a stressful healthcare condition (Pinto et al. 2017). Comfort facilitates holistic nursing care such as physical, psychospiritual, social, and environmental interventions
Defining Attributes
Comfort has multiple attributes that can define it in the nursing profession. The three defining attributes that I chose are communication, physical symptom relief, and family involvement. Communication is essential nursing tool as giving effective communication to patients and their families helps nurses to understand the causes of discomfort to the patient. Physical comfort represents the physical perceptions (Derya and Pasinliog˘lu, 2017). Relief is the sense that a person experiences after they overcome pains due to their needs being met. Through communication, patients will gain comfort and the physical symptoms of discomfort will reduce. Comfort levels can be increased by involving family members in the care plan of the patient (Pinto et al. 2017). An optimal comfort level is reached if the concerns of the patient and family members are listened as it promotes better communication between the parties (Derya and Pasinliog˘lu, 2017). Good communication with the patient can be facilitated if the caregiver listens to the patient’s needs. The caregivers need to know, be aware and use a reasonable tone of voice when conveying information to the patient to increase comfort in the situation they need relief.
Model Cases
The theory of comfort introduced by Katharine Kolcaba gives the nursing model of comfort that all nurses follow. The theory of comfort gives three forms of comfort, which are relief, ease, and transcendence. The theory also explains four different comfort concepts: physical, psychospiritual, environmental, and sociocultural (Fragala & Fragala, 2014). The concepts and the forms of comfort have led to creating a structure that is used for reference to the assessment and measurement of the comfort that a patient needs or gets. A patient experiences a sense of relief or comfort if their needs are achieved. If a patient receives pain medicine to relieve pain, their comfort is achieved because they have gained relief. Pleasure as a method of comfort can be seen as ease. Transcendence is gained when a patient completes the set goals and attains a state of comfort. The nurse needs to provide an environment of open communication to give the patients a chance to voice their concerns and feelings.
