Clinical Theory Practice of the

Clinical Theory Practice of the 21st Century Theory Background of the Comfort Theory The Comfort theory is one of the theories that have achieved widespread application in the clinical nursing. This theory is an example of a mid range theory that has achieved an extensive application in the clinical nursing fraternity. Kolcaba's initial analysis of the theory of Comfort aimed at focusing on the patients and not nurses. Her further analysis revealed the importance of strengthening the aspect of comfort to all the players in the nursing field.

The analysis came up with three forms of Comfort; transcendence, ease and relief. Relief denotes that state in which specific Comfort needs are addressed or fulfilled. Ease is a situation when a person achieves that state of contentment while transcendence is achieved when one is able to rise above problems or pain. Additionally, it is observed that discomfort encompasses more than negative physical response. It is widely thought that different aspects of discomfort or Comfort affect holistic beings.

A convergence was drawn between different domains of nursing and the theory of Comfort (Kolcaba, 2003). The human experience as we know it takes place in four contexts; environmental, psycho-spiritual, socio-cultural and physical contexts. The physiological and homeostatic dimensions of an individual form the dimension of his physical Comfort. The Psychosocial Comfort of an individual comprises his internal awareness that include identity, sexuality, meaning of life, and esteem. The external Comfort, on the other hand, is determined by external stimuli that emanate from landscape, light and sound (Malinowski, & Stamler, 2002).

Generic Viewpoint of the comfort theory The comfort theory is one of the mid range theories which is often applied to clinical nursing. According to this theory, the comfort of the patient and the family receiving care is as significant as that of the nurse giving the care. A mid range theory such as the comfort theory is important to the nursing setting because it addresses the necessities of both the recipient and the giver of the care services.

The comfort theory has a wide applicability index in the clinical nurse setting. The theory is crucial for understanding and attending to the needs of both the patients and the nurse practitioner (Kolcaba, & DiMarco, 2005). The theory on comfort is widely used in clinical nursing because it affords the patients together with their families that amount of comfort that ordinarily inspires them to be willing participants of the healthy services promoted by the caregivers.

The application of this theory also ensures that the nurses benefit in the process of their work by having patients that are happier and collaborative. The application of the Comfort theory to the clinical nursing practice nursing also contributes to low cost of care and increased patient satisfaction. Current Research on the impact of the Comfort theory on the 21st Century Practice Magyrary (2002) underscores the need for a proactive approach of the care and assessment of the 21st Century nursing practices.

A key finding by a research conducted at the close of the 20th Century revealed that there was a close correlation between quality of care and adequate staffing. The negative aspects that often lead to trauma and illness can be countered by the application of proactive care and evaluation. The aforementioned negative aspects include pain, anxiety and depression.

Documenting the nursing practice of the 21st century demand the inclusion of all positive outcomes achieved to inform the practitioners in the field of nursing on the best ways of achieving these outcomes in their practices. Concisely, Comfort results when an individual keeps of negative or unhealthy living and sticks to positive and healthy living. Comfort has been associated with positive institutional outcomes that include patient satisfaction.

The outcome of Comfort is therefore one of the most important indicator of measuring success in nursing practice particularly for patients and families going through some tough or stressful healthcare conditions. Benefits of the Comfort theory to the Clinical Nurses of the 21st Century Comfort theory is an important theory that is applicable to the 21st Century clinical practice because of its many inherent benefits or advantages.

This theory defines the working environment for healthcare practitioners while at the same time it charts the direction for improving the services offered by the clinical nurses. The universality of the language and concepts used in presenting the theory also promotes its wide acceptance. The simplicity of the tenets of the Comfort theory ensures that all persons, regardless of their academic background can understand and apply it (Kolcaba, 1994). Additionally, the Comfort theory sets the bar used to measure the quality service offered by clinical nurses of the 21st Century.

The theory plays an integral role in informing researches aimed at improving quality of clinical service, patients' satisfaction, evaluation and formulation of interventions for comforting the patients. Best practices in the nursing fraternity also benefits by the application of the Comfort theory. The Comfort theory considers the comfort of CNOs, nurse executives, nurses and managers. The theory also encompasses the Standards and Scope for all nursing administrators.

An important point to consider on the application of the theory is its application in safeguarding the Comfort of the patients and their families. This Comfort is widely desired because it is explicit and holistic in nature. This becomes a valuable determinant of the Comfort and satisfaction of patients staying in hospitals or those in the outpatient wings. The theory has also defined the guidelines for scheduling the duties and assignments of nurses ensuring that they too enjoy Comfort (Kolcaba, 2003).

A direct relationship can be drawn between the standards of various professional bodies governing.