ABSTRACT
Objective:
To analyze the professional practice models used by nurses in the hospital context.
Method:
A descriptive study with a qualitative approach was carried out in 19 hospitals with 56 nurses. Data collection was carried out by means of a semi-structured interview.
Results:
The following categories emerged from analysis: a practice focused on the management of signs and symptoms, where the biomedical model, prevention of complications, and early detection of signs and symptoms of clinical worsening stood out, and a practice based on patients' human responses, emphasizing health promotion, self-care promotion, autonomy reconstruction, functional rehabilitation, patients' training, preparation to return home, and facilitation of transitions.
Final considerations:
In spite of the evolution seen in some contexts, a distance between the models practiced and those presented is still found, which indicates the need for changes ensuring structuring and systematization of the professional practice.
Descriptors:
Nursing; Nursing Models; Professional Practice; Nursing Care; Hospitals