Is Impaired Comfort a Nursing Diagnosis?

OBJECTIVE: Discussion of the "Impaired Comfort" nursing diagnosis.

METHODS: Discussion paper based on the authors' ongoing PhD research about the development of comfort as a complex intervention.

FINDINGS: When the patient has impaired comfort, the nursing intervention should be specific to the etiological factor. Some arguments are raised about impaired comfort as a nursing diagnosis and the discussion is led about the possibility of the referred diagnosis being considered a syndrome.

CONCLUSIONS: New proposals are presented for the nursing classification based on theoretical knowledge development and current scientific evidence.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: The results can contribute to better decision-making and clinical reasoning, namely in terms of the nursing process, and contribute to safer, rational, efficient, and effective nursing care.