FSC Concepts of the Comfort Theory Discussion
I’m studying and need help with a Health & Medical question to help me learn.
Choose two concepts in the theory you choose last week and describe:
How are the concepts defined in general (from other references)?
- How does the theorist define each of the concepts you have chosen?
How do those concepts apply to your clinical practice? Give concrete examples.
- Give some specific examples how you use the comfort theory in your practice( nursing)
Theoretical Perspectives of Nursing Practice
A metaparadigm entails a set of propositions that give an account of the phenomena with which certain disciplines are concerned. These propositions entail four key concepts in the nursing discipline that specifically address patients, their health, their environments, and nursing obligations (Deliktas et al., 2019).
The Four Metaparadigms
Patient
This paradigm refers to the care recipient. However, this component is not focused on the patient alone. It also entails family members and other factions significant to the patient (Nikfarid et al., 2018). Apart from focusing on healthcare needs, the care structure also considers the patient’s social and spiritual needs. After that, the health outcome will be credited to how the patient interrelates with the respective social and physical connections. Hence positive personal connections are critical to effective health management.
Nurse
This paradigm revolves around the nurse’s qualities, attributes, and actions that contribute to the ultimate objective of enhancing patient care. This component entails conveying ideal patient health outcomes based on a mutual relationship within an innocuous and caring setting. The nursing paradigm applies certain values and philosophies to ensure ideal health outcomes for patients (Nikfarid et al., 2018). The paradigm also combines with others for patient well-being.
Health
The health paradigm focuses on the degree of wellness and access to healthcare patients have. Therefore, this component is categorized as one containing multiple dimensions depending on the patient, clinical settings, and specific healthcare providers (Nikfarid et al., 2018). Health and well-being cover individuals’ lifespans. With this in mind, how intellectual, socio-emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being is incorporated into the health process plays a crucial role in achieving optimal health benefits. The premise is that such factors impact the patient’s wellness.
Environment
The environment paradigm focuses explicitly on the surroundings affecting patients. This may entail internal and external settings and influences. Therefore, how patients interrelate with their surroundings affects their health and well-being (Nikfarid et al., 2018). Patients interacting with their close friends and family are an excellent example of the environment component. Social and physical factors, including culture, technology, and economic conditions, are also part of this environment. The metaparadigm’s premise is that patients can modify their environmental factors to enhance their health and well-being.
Middle-Range Theory
The theory selected is “Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort,” which places comfort at the core of healthcare. The theory contains three key concepts include relief, ease, and transcendence. Besides these concepts, the theory is also based on four domains: “physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environmental” (Vo, 2020). These domains and concepts combine to offer nursing practice order and research outcomes. Based on the model, comfort is one of nursing care’s needed outcomes. Furthermore, the theory is based on the premise that nurses prefer practicing comfort care, an aspect that can be quickly fused into nursing action. Thus, it is appropriate for my area of clinical practice since it offers a framework for guiding nursing practice during the assessment, planning, provision, and evaluation of patient care.
