Clinical Nursing Service Value: A Hybrid Concept Analysis

To clarify the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of clinical nursing service value.

Nursing service constitutes a core component of the healthcare system, significantly influencing patient outcomes and system performance. However, the value of nursing service remains inadequately identified and measured. With the shift toward value-based healthcare, it is urgent to clarify the connotation of clinical nursing service value. Existing research lacks an integrative framework to comprehensively capture the unique contributions of nursing services.

The hybrid concept analysis model was employed. In the theoretical phase, a systematic search was conducted across multiple databases, including PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE Complete, CINAHL Complete, Embase, Emerald Insight, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data Knowledge Service Platform, Chinese Science and Technology Journals Database, and China Biology Medicine disc. The literature search was updated through September 14, 2026, and 43 eligible articles were included and analyzed. In the fieldwork phase, 27 patients, 10 nurses, and 3 nurse managers were selected for semistructured interviews, and the interview data were analyzed by conventional content analysis. In the analytical phase, findings from both the theoretical and fieldwork stages were integrated to derive the definitive conceptual definition.

Clinical nursing service value is a composite value system comprising five interconnected dimensions: technical, economic, humanistic, informational, and social. Its proposed antecedents span system and organization, the nursing team, patients and families, and technology and information, with consequences identified for patients, nurses and the nursing profession, hospitals, and the healthcare system.

This study constructs a comprehensive conceptual model of clinical nursing service value. It provides a theoretical framework for identifying, measuring, and enhancing nursing value and offers a crucial foundation for the nursing profession to secure policy and resource support.

This conceptual framework may inform nursing performance evaluation, workforce planning, and resource allocation. Empirical validation is required before its use in appraisal, reimbursement, or compensation decisions.