This exploratory research with qualitative approach carried out in a surgical intensive care unit of a university hospital in Fortaleza-CE, Brazil, aimed to understand the perception of nursing staff on the care actions implemented in a surgical ICU that assists patients undergoing liver transplantation. 20 nursing professionals participated. We used semi-structured interviews and systematic observation. The results showed that the nursing care to the transplanted liver patient involves extensive technical and psychosocial aspects, requiring knowledge and experience. It was observed that, often, nursing care was accepted as a result of a prescription and not an individualized assessment of the nurse. We concluded that nursing needs to appropriate its own instruments to strengthen the autonomous, individual and holistic care.
Nursing Care; Nursing; Liver Transplantation; Intensive Care