The role of comfort in nursing care: 1900-1980

A total of 621 journal articles and 17 textbooks written by nurses between 1900 and 1980 were coded for the key words comfort, comfortable, comforting, uncomfortable, discomfort, and pain. A content analysis revealed 12 categories explicating differing roles of comfort in nursing and comfort strategies for the provision of nursing care. The emphasis on comfort and the role of comfort changed throughout the eight decades. From 1900 to 1929, comfort was the central focus and moral imperative of nursing; from 1930 to 1959, comfort was considered a strategy for achieving fundamental aspects of nursing care; and from 1960 to 1980, comfort became a minor nursing goal. Although in this last period the physical aspects of care dominated, emotional comfort became increasingly important. Comfort was only significant throughout the entire period for patients for whom there was no medical treatment. The changing role of comfort over time could account for advances in nursing education, medicine, medical technology, and the adoption of theoretical frameworks into nursing.