Conceptual Framework In the process of developing theories to define and guide nursing practice, designing and discussing conceptual frameworks is often considered central to helping nurses understand and give meaning to phenomena. By definition, conceptual frameworks or models identify nursing concepts and describe their relationships to the phenomenon of concern (McEwen, 2011). As suggested by Meleis (2012), although conceptual frameworks are more abstract and do not establish an explicit association between concepts for use in practice, meaning in reality is created from the relationships, and advantages of that meaning to the discipline can be explored. In this paper, the conceptual framework of Kolcaba’s Theory of Comfort will be
