The aim of this study was to identify forms of care of nurses in the operating room, and describe how context influences the implementation of this care. This is qualitative study, for which data were obtained by means of five interviews with nurses working in the operating room of a public hospital in the municipality of Duque de Caxias, in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro, conducted between August and September of 2010, using a semistructured script. The methodology followed the Grounded Theory method. The results show that the nurses perform care motivated by professional commitment and satisfaction, with patient health being their primary focus. Professional context influences ways of working, since the relationship of care exists in the interdependence between the beings involved and working conditions. In conclusion, operating room nurses integrate several factors, acting sometimes as agents of indirect care, despite the difficulties of a complex and specific context.
Hospital surgery department; Operating room nursing; Nursing care