<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec><h3>Objective</h3>
<p>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.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Methods</h3>
<p>The Walker and Avant framework was applied to develop a deeper understanding of the concept of comfort at the end of life.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Results</h3>
<p>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.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>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.</p>
</sec>
</abstract>

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.

A conceptual analysis of the meaning of comfort at the end-of-life using the Walker and Avant (2014) Framework

Frontiers of Nursing

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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...

A conceptual analysis of the meaning of comfort at the end-of-life using the Walker and Avant (2014) Framework

Article Category: Review

Published Online: Aug 18, 2021

Page range: 91 - 97

Received: Jul 23, 2020

Accepted: Sep 28, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2021-0011

Keywords
comfort, end-of-life care, concept analysis, death, dying

© 2021 Yong-Chao Hou et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

A conceptual analysis of the meaning of comfort at the end-of-life using the Walker and Avant (2014) Framework

Article Category: Review

Published Online: Aug 18, 2021

Page range: 91 - 97

Received: Jul 23, 2020

Accepted: Sep 28, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2021-0011

Keywordscomfort, end-of-life care, concept analysis, death, dying

© 2021 Yong-Chao Hou et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
comfort, end-of-life care, concept analysis, death, dying