The study aimed to describe how the nursing staff in an Emergency Room (ER) of a university hospital sees the signs and symptoms of clinical aggravation of symptoms of the patients under observation in the sector. An exploratory-descriptive research, of qualitative nature, carried out with 38 professionals of the nursing team. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in a private place in the ER, recorded and transcribed in full, and lately, it was subjected to the content analysis of the thematic type. From the speeches three categories emerged which described how the nursing staff recognizes and acts during emergency situations, as well as the difficulties that prevent the satisfactory monitoring of patients. It was concluded that the nursing staff need to intensify discussions about signs and symptoms suggestive of aggravation of the patients conditions in units of ER, in order to take early actions and do it as a team.
Emergency nursing; Nursing care; Emergency medical services; Signs and symptoms
