Ambiguities in Comfort Care Discussions

To the Editor We read with great interest the recent Perspective by Kelemen and colleages¹ that revealed the pervasive ambiguity in the concept of comfort care. As the authors noted, comfort care is an important aspect of medical care, and we would like to laud the authors for bringing this difficult subject to light.

The concept of comfort can be different for many individuals, depending on their backgrounds, desires, and even family dynamics. As the authors noted, there is concern with labeling patients with “comfort care” because this may unintentionally lead to nonindividualized care plans.¹