Assessment of the level of dependency of nursing care inpatients in Emergency Service

Abstract

Objective: To identify the level of dependency of nursing care in patients admitted in the Emergency Service. Method: Cross-sectional study, approaching 144 patients hospitalized for six or more days in the Emergency Service of a university hospital inRio Grandedo Sul. The assessment instrument applied was Perroca’s Patients Assessment System. Results: 44% of the participants were classified as intermediate care need. Highest average score of the critical indexes happened in body care and locomotion. Regarding specialties, General Surgery and Infectious Diseases had higher percentage for minimal care; Traumatology for intermediate semi-intensive Care, and Neurology for intensive care. Conclusions: the findings provide information for managerial decisions in nursing. New studies might aggregate more information for planning nursing assistance in the Emergency Service.