The managerial dimension of the nurse work in a hospital emergency service

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the managerial dimension of the nurse work in a hospital emergency service. Qualitative research approached as a case study approved by the Ethics Committee of the institution of reference (09-151). The data were collected between June and September 2009 through participant observation and interviews with nurses of the Emergency Service of a University Hospital of Rio Grande do Sul – RS, Brazil, and analyzed according to theme content analysis. The work of nurses is constantly influenced by unexpected situations and the great search of people to be attended to; which varies in diversity and complexity. The managerial dimension of nurse’s work focuses in the fulfillment of patients’ needs and contemplates the accomplishment and care planning, prevision, provision of resources for the unit; as well as the leadership, supervision, and training of nursing team. Nurses recognize the importance of team work and their responsibility in joining health professional actions. Overcrowding and quality of care are the main challenges nurses face in managing care. The strategies to overcome them include changes in the flow of patients and physical structure of the unit and reorganization of the health system for emergency attention. These results might collaborate with the work of nurses enabling those professionals to reflect on their practices and advance in the comprehension of care management as a tool for assistance improvement and of the practices in health attention in emergency services