Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Pain Management Nursing, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, SSCI, Scopus)
Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the effect of nursing care based on Kolcaba’s comfort theory on the comfort levels of patients undergoing open heart valve surgery. Design A randomized controlled trial design was used. Methods The study was conducted between October 2024 and April 2025 in the Cardiovascular Surgery Department of Van Health Sciences University Training and Research Hospital. Fifty-six eligible patients were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 28) or the control group (n = 28). The intervention group received nursing care guided by Kolcaba’s comfort theory, while the control group received routine care. Data were collected using the Patient Information Form, General Comfort Scale, Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC). Results Patients in the intervention group showed a statistically significant improvement in overall comfort levels after receiving theory-based nursing care. Post-test scores on the General Comfort Scale were higher in the intervention group compared to the control group. VAS scores decreased significantly in the intervention group, indicating reduced pain. In addition, postoperative NOC outcome scores were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group. Conclusion Nursing care based on Kolcaba's comfort theory increases the comfort of open heart valve surgery patients, reduces their pain, and has been shown to increase nursing outcome classification scores. Clinical Implication Kolcaba-based nursing care can enhance postoperative comfort, improve recovery outcomes, and support holistic patient management in valve surgery, guiding nurses to implement structured comfort-focused interventions throughout perioperative care.