A ranking of
cost-effective nursing interventions was obtained by
comparing the shortest distance from the threshold
line to a point as shown in the following equation Distance ¼
jHospital direct cost þ Complication ratesj
ffiffiffi
2
p :
In the area under the threshold slope, the farther
the distance of an intervention from the threshold is,
the more cost-effective the intervention. In contrast, at
the area above the threshold slope, when the distance
of an intervention is closer to the threshold, the intervention
is more cost-effective.