[Patterns in nursing supervision at hospitals in Feira de Santana-Ba]

This is an exploratory descriptive study about Nurse Supervision Pattern (NSP) performed in Feira de Santana-Bahia-Brazil, in 1994, which aims at describing supervision pattern and identifying interference factors. A questionnaire and descriptive statistics have been used. Supervision pattern proved that the kind of hospital is a factor that interferes on NSP. Based on literature, percentual exam of results and author's professional experience, it asserted that sex, academic graduation, earnings, health politics, planning and technical administrative structure are conditional factors for NSP, as well as lack of professional autonomy, interference of political parties, deficiency of material and human resources, low salaries, unsuitable environment and unsatisfactory interpersonal relationships mentioned by the subjects.