Kolcaba's Theory of Comfort: Effects of Garra Rufa Fish Intervention Towards the Comfort of Elderly Dermatitis Patients

Background Contact dermatitis in the elderly is chronic and recurrent, which can be caused by an immune decrease in the elderly, causing them to be more vulnerable to the exposure of contact dermatitis. Garra Rufa fish intervention with environmental modification according to Kolcaba's theory is an intervention that can be given to clients with skin diseases, one of which is contact dermatitis. Purpose: This study aims to analyze the effect of Garra Rufa intervention on the comfort level of the elderly with contact dermatitis. Method: The design used in this study was quasi-experimental design of the intervention and control groups with pre-test and post-test. The respondents of this study were 22 people with contact dermatitis. Respondents were selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using an ordinal questionnaire with Wilcoxon and Mann Whitney statistical tests. Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test and Mann Whitney U Test have a significant level of p <0.05. Results: The results of this study showed a change in the comfort level (p = 0.002) of the elderly treatment group, while the control group showed (p = 0.317). Mann Whitney U Test Results show (p = 0.000). There were differences in comfort levels between the intervention group and the control group (p = 0.000). Conclusions: Garra Rufa intervention with the Kolcaba nursing care model can provide a relaxed sensation that increase the comfort of elderly who have contact dermatitis.