The amount (intensity) and kind of professional nursing care required for a patient in order to achieve the desired medical and nursing care objectives for the patient, that is, to carry out the orders of the attending physician and to meet the patient’s nursing care needs. The term “level of care” is primarily used outside the acute hospital, where three levels of care are recognized: skilled nursing care (the highest level), intermediate care, and rest home care (custodial care, the lowest level).