Comfort

Comfort is a state of physical and emotional ease, and relieving pain is central to achieving it. Pain is subjective — it is whatever the client says it is, occurring whenever the client says it does — so the client’s self-report is the most reliable indicator and must be believed. Combine nonpharmacologic measures such as repositioning, distraction, and heat or cold with prescribed analgesics, and reassess after every intervention to confirm the pain was actually relieved.