A theory of holistic comfort for nursing.

Although the construct of comfort has been analysed, diagrammed in a two-dimensional content map, and operationalized as a holistic outcome, it has not been conceptualized within the context of a broader theory for the discipline of nursing. The theoretical work presented here utilizes an intra-actional perspective to develop a theory of comfort as a positive outcome of nursing case. A model of human press is the framework within which comfort is related to (a) interventions that enhance the state of comfort and (b) desirable subsequent outcomes of nursing care. The paper concludes with a discussion about the theory of comfort as a significant one for the discipline of nursing.