Joumal of Advanced Nursing, 1994,20,189-195 The phenomenology of comfort Janice M Morse RN PbD FAAN Professor of Nursing and Behavioral Science, School of Nursmg, College of Health and Human Development, Peimsylvama State University, University Park, USA JoanL BottorffRNPbD Associate Professor, Faculty of Nursmg, University of Bntish Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and Sally Hutchmson RN PbD FAAN Professor, College of Nursmg, University of Flonda, Camesville, USA Accepted for pubhcation 3 November 1993 MORSE J M,BOTTORFFJ L & HUTCHINSON s (1994) Journal of Advanced Nursing20,189-195 The phenomenology of comfort From patient narratives, the phenomenological literature and reflection of patients' autobiographical accounts of illness, nine themes reflectmg the phenomenological concept of corporeality were used to identify the ways patients achieve comfort The themes were the dis-eased body, the disobedient body, the vulnerable body, the violated hody, the resigned hody, the enduring body, the betra5nng body and the betraying (neurotic) mind The process of achieving comfort is based on the patients' needs to live with illness or injury without hemg dominated by their hodies The authors argue that while the role of nursing is to provide comfort to the sick, the goal of total comfort is unattainable m patient care However, if the goal is to enhance comfort, to ease and to relieve distress, comfort remains central to the role of nursing INTRODUCTION Descriptions of comfort 'Are you comfortable'' Nurses ask tbis quesbon many In nursmg textbooks a variety of descnpbons of comfort times a day and lnibate lntervenbons to enbance pabent bave been suggested Comfort bas been contrasted witb comfort Altbougb comfort bas always been an important discomfort and viewed as a state of 'pbysical or mental goal for nursmg, little is known about tbe pabent's experi- well-bemg' (Flaberty & Fitzpatnck 1978) or by degrees on ence of comfort dunng illness or injury, or bow it is best a discomfort-comfort contmuum (Patterson & Zderad acbieved Wben a patient is sick or recovenng from an 1976) In tbeorebcal discussions comfort bas also been mjury, wbat does it really mean to be comfortable' On tbe linked witb meeting pabents' needs (Orlando 1961, Roy & surface, tbis may appear a simple quesbon However, if Roberts 1981) and descnbed as a vanable tbat afPects we look more closely we migbt understand more fully mtemal and extemal environments (Watson 1979) pabents' expenence of discomfort and tbeir efforts to attam Recently Kolcaba (1992) presented a tbeorebcal definibon comfort In tbis arbcle we explore and refiect on pabents' of comfort tbat mcludes two dimensions tbe first everyday expenences to capture a deeper understanding encompassing mtemal/extemal pabent needs and tbe of pabent comfort second relabng to intensity Despite tbese efforts it is clear tbat we are only beginning to uncover tbe mulb- dimensional complexity of comfort and bow it is acbieved Correspondence DrJ Morse, School of Nursmg, 307 Health and Human Adequate deSCnpbonS of COmfort bave nOt been dearly Development East, Permsyhrama State Umversity Umversity Park developed m nursmg researcb Altbougb COmfort appears Pennsylvama 16802, USA in tbe btle of many researcb reports (Lamb 1979, Speedie 189