The measurement of the intensity of nursing care required by a patient.

For the purpose of this work, we use the term acuity as an umbrella term which encompasses other terms such as dependency, intensity and complexity to describe the expanse of care that a patient requires based on their holistic needs. 

The term acuity has two main attributes: 

1. Severity, which indicates the physical and psychological status of the patient

2. Intensity, which indicates the nursing needs, complexity of care and the corresponding workload required by a patient, or group of patients.