This descriptive, qualitative study was conducted in a university hospital in Curitiba, Parana, Brazil in October of 2009 involving a focus group of six nurses who work in its healthcare and management sectors. The objective of this study was to recognize the managerial instruments used in nursing practice as support for decision-making. The data was collected through the focus group technique and context analysis provided the appearance of the empirical category called "management tools that aid decision-making." Six sub categories were also found, namely: planning, standard operational procedures, time management, leadership, autonomy, conflict mediation and negotiation. We propose that the institution and Nursing Services give nurses the opportunity to take refresher courses about managerial knowledge in order to develop such competences, seeking more effective and guaranteed performance, resulting in higher quality care and higher professional satisfaction
Nursing; Study of nursing management; Management for nursing practice; Decision-making; Management