Theory Analysis

A particular emphasis on the different areas of nursing, such as patient-centered care has captured the interest of many. The need for patient-centered care has grown, in part, from the evolving medical atmosphere in the United States (Reynolds, 2009). Nurses and other health care providers no longer are solely in charge of care. Patients demand to be active partners in the health care process (Reynolds, 2009). In patient-centered care, the needs of the patient and patient satisfaction are the priority (Reynolds, 2009). It does not focus exclusively on the sickness, but rather, on the patient and the patient’s psychological, spiritual and emotional needs. Patient-centered health care attempts to engage patients and their families in the active participation of the decision-making methodology. This is accomplished by supplying them with knowledge about the patient’s health condition. Patients critique the standard of healthcare they receive. They evaluate based on social graces and more importantly bedside manner. Most are incapable of evaluating a nurse’s level of skill or training, so the qualities they can assess become of the utmost importance in satisfying patients and providing patient-centered care (Reynolds, 2009).

I that for the interest of good patients’ outcome, it should be very imperative for us leaders to develop patient-centered care in our respective hospitals by analyzing and agreeing on what is best for the patient at all times. For us to achieve this goal, we should apply a transformational leadership approach that is vital in this process; this should include conveying the end goal that we intend to achieve rather than instructing staff what should be done (Marquis & Huston, 2012).

Comfort is been used and discuss by many nursing theorists. Orlando developed the deliberative nursing process in which nurses are supposed to correctly assess a patient’s comfort to determine the effectiveness of the intervention (Sitzman and Eichelberger, 2011, p. 118) Watson developed a theory of human caring (Sitzman and Eichelberger, 2011, p. 50), which uses comfort to alter the internal and external environments of patients. Roy’s theory of adaptation (Sitzman

Just as an example, if the nurse has been monitoring the patient’s pain level regularly, the patient’s pain level has remained low, then in turn, he/she is able to sleep well, eat his/her meals, and communicate effectively with surrounding people.

The United States Healthcare system is one of the largest out in the world, we currently spend approximately 22% higher than the next country in the world. The US healthcare system currently spends about $2.6 trillion each year, and estimated 30% of that is wasted (Meritage Medical Network). Those staggering numbers comes from multiple facets of issues that are currently present in the US healthcare system. There are currently five factors that can be attested as the primary reason why spending is high, and the waste of money is also high. They are care coordination, lack of information, readmission rates, patient to nurse ration, and finally healthcare coverage. If each of these factors is limited or ultimately eliminated, we can see

In The Theory of Comfort, understanding of comfort can promote nursing care that is holistic and inclusive of physical, psychospiritual, social, and environmental interventions (McEwen & Wills, 2014). The mind/body/spirit is related to comfort, as one’s thoughts and emotions can distort their cognitive reasoning by causing illness or delaying recovery. The mind is a powerful tool that can change the outlook on how one thinks. Intervening variables can stress a person thus decreasing health-seeking behaviors. One has to change how the mind is thinking. The mind has to have a positive outlook so that the body and spirit of the person can obtain optimal comfort. Relief, ease, and transcendence play a part by if a person makes it through these steps, then more positive health-seeking behaviors can take place. If the person has a negative response, then the body and spirit aspect will not be a positive one. There is a reciprocal relationship that exists between health-seeking behaviors and comfort because health-seeking behaviors also can enhance comfort. The body is then affected by the actions the person takes. If they are in a positive state and relief, ease, and transcendence was achieved in their mind, then the

Human beings striving to meet comfort needs, and the fact that comfort is a continuous process, are the third assumption. The fourth assumption is that patients are motivated to independently engage in health-seeking behaviors when their comfort needs are met. The fifth assumption is that patients who are empowered to engage in health-seeking behaviors have better perceptions about and of their health care. The final assumption is that an institution whose basis is a value system that emphasizes on patients or those receiving care, is considered to have integrity (Kolcaba, 2003).

Transcendence is the ability for patients to use their sense of comfort to rise above any struggles and conflicts they may be facing (Petiprin, 2016). Overall, Kolcaba defines her theory and comfort in general as "the immediate state of being strengthened through having the human needs for relief, ease, and transcendence addressed in four contexts of experience (physical, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and environmental)” (Kolcaba & DiMarco, 2005). By using this theory in a hospital environment, Kolcaba hoped that comfort levels would be increased for all patients, staff and visitors and that patient health would improve as a result of this theory implementation (Boudiab & Kolcaba, 2015).

Healthcare industry today had shown a remarkably change and far advanced. Nurses being the highest number in healthcare industry are required to be more artfully that ever before. Nurses need to practice efficiently and effectively in delivering high quality of care. Nursing profession is an art and sciences, both are integrated to enable nurses to better meet present day challenges. One major component in the nursing art is ‘comfort care’, presented in a manner that is easy to understand and put into practice. Researchers had argued that comfort care is resourceful, individualized, holistic and gratifying to patients as well as nurses. It is believed that comfort care assist in organizing and improve practice, especially during times of rapid

I concur with your opinion regarding that the high quality of care provided to patients and the community we as a nurse and future scholars play an important role to make it real, approaching them with the knowledge and researches made by theorist and philosophies putting them in an evidence base practice.

The physical environment and the design of a health facility has significant impact on comfort, safety, human performance and increased effectiveness of care (Reiling, Hughes, & Murphy, n.d.). Evidence based designs are called healing environment, in other words, they are smart investments since they promote patient satisfaction through less stressful environment ,reduce hospital stay as well save money, increase staff efficiency and moreover, where interaction between staff and patient leads to positive health outcomes (Huisman, Morales, Van Hoof, & Kort, 2012).

Between the year 1900 and 1929, comfort care was the goal for both medicine and nursing. Patient’s recovery was thought to be due to comfort. However, the focus on comfort care seemed to decline and it was only retained for patients’ at the end of life, with no other treatment options obtainable (March & McCormack, 2009). Kolcaba developed her comfort theory after conducting a concept analysis of comfort that examined literature from medicine, nursing, psychology, psychiatry, ergonomics and English. Form the analysis, it had confirmed that comfort care is a positive concept and it is highly associated with activities that nurture and strengthen patients’.

While extensive research exists relating to improving patient care, as well as the effects of stress on the nurse, as well as patient care, proactive, realistic,

It is easy to implement and design a comfort care as most of the nursing interventions are aimed to patient’s response. The outcome of enhanced comfort is practical for nurses to gain as the effectiveness of comfort care is based on assessment. Patient centered care is the main focus for today’s healthcare industry and comfort care assist in achieving this as the outcome is deliberate by patients’ perception on their own comfort and this helps the nurses to be sensitive to patients’ outcome. A successful nurse is

Between the year 1900 and 1929, comfort care was the goal for both medicine and nursing. Patient’s recovery was thought to be due to comfort. However, the focus on comfort care seemed to decline and it was only retained for patients’ at the end of life, with no other treatment options obtainable (March & McCormack, 2009). Kolcaba developed her comfort theory after conducting a concept analysis of comfort that examined literature from medicine, nursing, psychology, psychiatry, ergonomics and English. Form the analysis, it had confirmed that comfort care is a positive concept and it is highly associated with activities that nurture and strengthen patients’.