Nursing in an emergency unit: interfaces and interdependences of the work body

The aim of this study was to understand how the nursing team perceives its interdependence within the work body of the emergency unit. The study used a qualitative descriptive approach with the participation of three registered nurses, six nursing technicians and two nursing assistants from the largest public emergency unit in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The Creative and Sensitive Method was used for data collection, with reflection workshops and content analysis, providing three categories: Perceptions of the body; relationship of the body systems; and the nursing body in the emergency unit. The results revealed the interdependence of the members in the work and a certain impotence and frustration emerged due to the overload of the nursing body and to the (un)caring within the context of intense human productivity of the emergency services. Moments of reflection about the biological body allowed the team to visualize and feel themselves essential in the group, revealing an efficient care strategy to the nursing caregiver.