Flexibility: a concept analysis

Flexibility is a quality that is deemed essential for nursing as the healthcare environment escalates into greater complexity. The word "flexibility" appears in nursing literature addressing the need to prepare for the next millennium, yet the concept of flexibility is rarely defined. Other disciplines, such as engineering, have struggled for years and continue to struggle to achieve conceptual clarity with regard to flexibility. A concept analysis using Rodgers' evolutionary method was undertaken to understand the meaning of flexibility.