Objective:The aim of the authors is to clarify the concept of comfort at the end-of-life in order to support understandings of fundamental nursing care needed at this stage of healthcare.Methods:The Walker and Avant f...Objective:The aim of the authors is to clarify the concept of comfort at the end-of-life in order to support understandings of fundamental nursing care needed at this stage of healthcare.Methods:The Walker and Avant framework was applied to develop a deeper understanding of the concept of comfort at the end of life.Results:Five defining attributes of comfort in the end-of-life were identified and they are having a peaceful home-life environment,trust and consolation,proximity and social-cultural support,alleviation of suffering,and a process of integrated intervention by nurses.Conclusions:At the end-of-life patients commonly experience physical,psychological,social-cultural,and environmental discomfort.Patients’families also encounter significant challenges.However,their comfort needs are often secondary to that of the patient.Additionally,a lack of clarity exists regarding the holistic meaning of comfort at the end-of-life,which can largely be confined to understandings of physical comfort for the patient,with a limited understanding of addressing family/caregivers’needs.Therefore,this concept analysis may provide some guidance in this regard and also provides support toward a more integrated understanding of the concept.展开更多
文摘Objective:The aim of the authors is to clarify the concept of comfort at the end-of-life in order to support understandings of fundamental nursing care needed at this stage of healthcare.Methods:The Walker and Avant framework was applied to develop a deeper understanding of the concept of comfort at the end of life.Results:Five defining attributes of comfort in the end-of-life were identified and they are having a peaceful home-life environment,trust and consolation,proximity and social-cultural support,alleviation of suffering,and a process of integrated intervention by nurses.Conclusions:At the end-of-life patients commonly experience physical,psychological,social-cultural,and environmental discomfort.Patients’families also encounter significant challenges.However,their comfort needs are often secondary to that of the patient.Additionally,a lack of clarity exists regarding the holistic meaning of comfort at the end-of-life,which can largely be confined to understandings of physical comfort for the patient,with a limited understanding of addressing family/caregivers’needs.Therefore,this concept analysis may provide some guidance in this regard and also provides support toward a more integrated understanding of the concept.
