Complexity level of assistance and nursing sizing in a emergency unit of a public hospital

Abstract

Aim: to assess the level of care complexity and the dimensioning of the nursing staff attending in the emergency unit of a public hospital. Method: descriptive and documental study, performed with data extracted from patients’ records. Results: we assessed 998 records. There was a prevalence (73,3%) of patients requiring minimal care. Concerning the nursing staff, the situation according to work shifts corresponded to 32,6% for nurses and 91,5% for nursing auxiliary/technicians from the frame projected for the unit. Conclusions: the prevalence of patients needing minimal care may stem from an inadequate flow of care provided for the health services and, consequently, producing an unnecessary use of the tertiary health services and, so, increasing the number of attendances. This context is worsened by the reduced number of nursing workers available to provide a qualified and safe care