Theory Testing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Theory Testing - Essay Example The basic principles in comfort theory are offering a holistic approach to nursing. This is achieved through supporting clinical decision made by health officials. Secondly, the theory defines nursing care and explains why a patient requires a specific health care basing on their health condition. The theory also elaborates the importance of family members and patient when participating in the nursing process for effective recovery of the patient (Walker, 2011). Comfort Theory Kolcaba described nursing as a process of determining a patient needs, making and implementing effective nursing interventions and assessing a patient comfort after nursing interventions. Evaluating may be through objective such as observing a wound as it heals or subjective which involves asking patient questions in order to understand if they are comfortable. Kolcaba also developed a theory to be used by nurses when caring for patients (Cook, 2008). This is a nursing theory developed by Katharine Kolcaba in 1 990s. Kolcaba broke down the theory into three forms. Ease: This involves placing patients in a comfortable state for them to feel relaxed. It involves solving issues that could cause stress or anxiety to a patient. Second is relief which is achieved through alleviating any pain that a patient may be experiencing. Comforting a patient through alleviating any physical injury on them that causes pain is an example of a relief. Lastly, transcendence is a state of comfort in which clients are able to overcome their challenges and recover their original form (Cook, 2008). Theory Testing Procedure Theory Testing Procedure involves qualitative analysis of comfort theory through critical thinking and assessing available data. The procedure involves exploring the richness, the depth and complexity involved in comfort theory. It is concerned with analyzing words, concept and impacts rather than the total number of patient under the given program. The procedures entail collecting information u sing relevant structures such as charts and maps and work out the procedure used in nursing. It also entails evaluating systems to determine whether they are effective enough in relieving, easing and transcendence a patient condition (Sitzman, 2011). The first step involves identifying a patient needs and investigating whether they are addressed. The second step is investigating the nursing interventions applied in comforting process. This is followed up by analyzing any extra measure taken to ensure the well being of a patient or enhance their comfort beyond their current conditions. Theory Testing Procedure should evaluate the methods used in identifying health seeking behaviors. These behaviors could be internal. In such case a patient has a health condition that could not be observed from outside. The second behavior could be external. This condition involves observable characteristics such as bleeding wound. The last step is analyzing the policies, practices and standards set i n comfort theory. These policies and practices should match a patient’s condition (Barry, 2005). Uses of Theory-Testing Outcomes The procedure is used to establish a patient comfort needs that have not been catered for by existing interventions or support systems. Nurses then design new interventions to handle unattended needs. The new intervention procedures are then taken into account to facilitate analysis in order to come up with immediate measures to enhance a patient comfort, and