Challenges for the management of emergency care from the perspective of nurses Desafios para a gerência do cuidado em emergência na perspectiva de enfermeiros

Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil. Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Conflict of interest: there are no conflicts of interest to declare. Abstract Objective: To analyze the challenges for the management of care in a hospital emergency department, based on the perspective of nurses. Methods: A qualitative, descriptive and exploratory study, conducted from June to September 2009, through semi-structured interviews with 20 nurses in the Emergency Department of a university hospital in southern region of Brazil. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The main challenges of nursing in managing care in emergency units were: management of overcrowding, maintaining quality of care, and utilization of leadership as a management tool. The suggestions mentioned to overcome these were: reorganization of the health system to focus on emergencies, changes in the flow of patient care, and implementation of training on nursing management. Conclusion: Such challenges and strategies represented a boost to the development of new practices through collaborative and coordinated work with the emergency care network.