Nurse dose as a concept.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the concept of Nurse Dose.


METHODS
The concept of nurse dose has been identified from decades of clinical research as a concept essential in the delivery of safe and high quality health care. The components of nurse dose were conceptualized through review of the literature from nursing, medicine, and health services research.


RESULTS
Nurse dose is conceptualized as having three equally essential components: dose, nurse, and host and host response. Dose in the macro view includes the number of nurses per patient or per population in cities, states, regions, or countries. Dose in a micro view includes the amount of nurse time and the number of contacts. The nurse component consists of the education, expertise, and experience of the nurse. Host is represented by an organization and its characteristics (culture, autonomy, practice control) in a macro view and by the patient and characteristics (beliefs, values, culture) in a micro view. Host response includes response to the autonomy and acceptability of the nurse.


CONCLUSIONS
Greater nurse dose has been associated with decreases in patient mortality, morbidity, and healthcare costs.
Brooten
Dorothy
D
School of Nursing, Florida International University, Miami 33181, USA. Brooten@fiu.edu
Youngblut
JoAnne M
JM
D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards; D004522:Educational Status; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D016294:Models, Nursing; D009017:Morbidity; D009026:Mortality; D009720:Nurse Clinicians / Q000193:education / Q000600:supply & distribution; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education / Q000600:supply & distribution; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015401:Nursing Administration Research / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000193:education / Q000523:psychology / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D015279:Organizational Culture; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012107:Research Design; D013996:Time and Motion Studies; D016526:Workload / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data