Application of Kolcabas Middle Range Theory of Comfort in Research - Essay Example

Application of Kolcaba’s Middle range theory of Comfort in Research As a nurse specializing in preoperative and postoperative care, I would use a middle-range nursing theory to research postoperative pain management, which is a common problem among patients after surgery. The most appropriate middle-range theory for this research would be Kolcaba’s middle-range theory of comfort. This is because this theory addresses the comfort essentials of patients (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). Pain is a common problem among surgical patients, and research could be carried out on such patients.

Comfort is an imperative nursing deed and responsibility and, therefore, nurses are adjudged by their capability to make the patients comfortable. However, comfort is idiosyncratic and best identified by the patient (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). Kolcaba’s comfort theory would assist in this research by identifying the comfort desires, measures, health-seeking patient conduct, comfort, intervening variables, and institutional integrity (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). This theory acknowledges that the comfort needs of patients emanate from stressful healthcare conditions.

Therefore, this theory would also guide in designing measures to satisfy comfort needs (Peterson & Bredow, 2009). This would be achieved through patient factors that influence the discernment of comfort identified by the theory such as age, attitude, experience, support system, emotional state, and finances. Additionally, the theory of comfort acknowledges that comfort is an experience offered in the environmental, psychospiritual, sociocultural, and physical contexts (Peterson & Bredow, 2009).