Absenteeism of nursing staff: decisions and actions of nurse managers. / Absenteísmo do pessoal de enfermagem: decisões e ações de enfermeiros gerentes.

Objective Measure absenteeism among nurses and nursing technicians/aides in three hospitals and explore possible management decisions by nursing managers to deal with it. Method Quantitative, qualitative study. In the qualitative stage, monthly rates, annual average and overall rates of absenteeism were measured among nurses and nursing technicians/aides from 12 service units in the hospitals, over 12 months, according to the equation proposed by the Support Center for Hospital Management (NAGEH - Núcleo de Apoio à Gestão Hospitalar). In the qualitative stage, 12 nursing managers from 12 units were interviewed. Results The quantitative stage revealed important differences in each institution and between institutions, with various monthly rates exceeding the monthly rate of 6.7% recommended by the Federal Council of Nursing (COFEN - Conselho Federal de Enfermagem). The qualitative stage examined positive impact decisions taken by these institutions, where relationships with managers, dialogue, and meeting the physical and emotional demands of professionals were considered important factors. Conclusion Absenteeism was a reality in day-to-day nursing staff management. It varied according to the month of the year and in different service units, and it was possible to classify these units according to the degree of the problem. In addition, the results showed that employee illness, dissatisfaction with institutional conditions, and inadequate interpersonal relationships were key factors, enabling management decisions based on each hospital's particular reality.

Pressure ulcers prevalence indicators and patient falls incidence in teaching hospitals in the city of São Paulo. / Indicadores de prevalência de úlcera por pressão e incidência de queda de paciente em hospitais de ensino do município de São Paulo.

Objective To measure the prevalence of pressure ulcers and the incidence of patient falls in three teaching hospitals in the city of São Paulo. Method Quantitative, exploratory and descriptive study. Data were collected from August 2012 to July 2013 using a form. They were analyzed according to descriptive and inferential statistics. Results The annual mean of pressure ulcers overall prevalence (PU) was of 10.1%, and the incidence of patient falls was of 13.8%. Conclusion Patients of Hospital 3 were the most vulnerable to pressure ulcers and falls, probably due to the aggressiveness of the disease and the complex treatments these patients were undergoing. Implementation of such indicators has enabled benchmarking and review of both assistance and management institutional protocols.

[Political-ethical skill development in nursing undergraduates]. / O desenvolvimento de competências ético-políticas segundo egressos de um Curso ee Graduação em Enfermagem.

This research aimed to identify political-ethical skills developed in a training process compatible with the expected profile set by the National Curriculum Guidelines for the Undergraduate Nursing Degree. A case study was conducted with units represented by 32 former students from a particular religious teaching institution who already were in the job market. The content of the interviews was analyzed using the thematic analysis technique, which resulted in the following categories: "Political-ethical skills in the formative process" and "Political-ethical skills as a product of the educational process." From the former students' perspective, these categories reinforced the social role of the nurse and the need for students to be reflective, understanding and participative in the transformation of society.

[Standardization of activities in an oncology surgical center according to nursing intervention classification]. / Padronização das atividades em centro cirúrgico oncológico segundo a classificação das intervençães de enfermagem.

This study was undertaken in a surgical center specializing in oncology, and it aimed to identify nursing activities performed during the perioperative period and to classify and validate intervention activities according to the Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC). A survey of activities was conducted using records and by direct observation of nursing care across four shifts. Activities were classified as NIC nursing interventions using the cross-mapping technique. The list of interventions was validated by nursing professionals in workshops. Forty-nine interventions were identified: 34 of direct care and 15 of indirect care. Identifying nursing interventions facilitates measuring the time spent in their execution, which is a fundamental variable in the quantification and qualification of nurses' workloads.

[Job Satisfaction: a quality indicator in nursing human resource management]. / Satisfação no trabalho: indicador de qualidade no gerenciamento de recursos humanos em enfermagem.

This descriptive study addresses the job satisfaction of nurse managers and clinical nurses working at the Hematology and Hemotherapy Services of a public hospital in São Paulo. The study objectives were to identify the factors that caused job satisfaction among nurse managers and clinical nurses, and support the results in the development of indicators to evaluate the quality of nursing human resource management. The components of the study were: autonomy, interaction, professional status, job requirements, organizational norms and remuneration. Participants were 44 nurses. Data were collected using a Job Satisfaction Index (JSI) questionnaire. In conclusion, this study permitted the identification of the clinical nurse group, which was the most satisfied, with a JSI of 10.5; the managerial group scored 10.0. Regarding the satisfaction levels in regards to the current activity, 88.9% of the nurse managers reported feeling satisfied, as did 90.9% of clinical nurses. For both groups, autonomy was the component with the highest level of professional satisfaction.

[Sick leave and nursing personnel management]. / Licença médica e gerenciamento de pessoal de enfermagem.

Sick leaves in the nursing team demand immediate managerial actions when health care has quality as a goal. This descriptive-exploratory, quantitative study was performed with the purpose of characterizing that phenomenon in a university hospital between 2003 and 2007. The medical leaves added up to 3,207 leaves and 32,022 days lost. Leaves lasting up to two days accounted for 54% of the total leaves and to 7% of the days lost; leaves of more than 15 days, 5% of the total, and 66% of the lost days. Hence, sick leaves consist of an important tool in nursing personnel management.

[The companions' perception about the humanization of assistance at a neonatal unit]. / A percepção do acompanhante sobre a humanização da assistência em uma unidade neonatal.

The objective of this study was to learn the perception of accompanying mothers at the neonatal unit as to humanizing actions. This is an exploratory descriptive study, with a qualitative focus, developed at the neonatal unit of the University of São Paulo Hospital with the accompanying mothers of hospitalized babies, from their fifth day of life until discharge. The study was performed from October 2007 to January 2008. A total 18 interviews were performed and analyzed according to Bardin's framework, which permitted to develop the following categories: assistance received, relationship with professionals and conditions of the institution. It was found that there was satisfaction regarding the received assistance and team support, and there is a need to make changes in the physical structure of the sector, to provide assistance that is more humanized.

The profile of EEUSP graduates of the stricto sensu program in nursing management. / Perfil de egressos da Pós-Graduação stricto sensu na área de Gerenciamento em Enfermagem da EEUSP.

The objectives of the present study were to identify and discuss on the profile of the graduates form the stricto sensu program in Nursing Administration/Management of the University of São Paulo School of Nursing, from October 2008 to June 2011, regarding the knowledge areas the graduates worked on during their master and doctoral program. This is an exploratory, descriptive, retrospective study, using documental analysis. The study population consisted of 250 graduates, 169 of which were masters and 81 doctorates. The graduates' profile permitted to identify and discuss on the retention rate for the doctorate; the type of institution that absorbs the master and doctorate graduate and the fields they work in.

The use of computer tools by the elderly of a center of reference and citizenship for the elderly. / Utilização de ferramentas computacionais por idosos de um centro de referência e cidadania do idoso.

The objective of this exploratory, descriptive study was to identify the use of computer tools by a group of elderly users of a Center of Reference and Citizenship for the Elderly in the city of São Paulo. Among the 55 subjects, it was found that 33 (60.0%) have a computer at home, 42 (76.4%) referred having taken a computer course; 22 (58.2%) have been using the computer for less than two years, and 40 (85.5%)use the tool for up to two hours a day. The most used communication tools were: e-mails by (41; 75.0%), instant messaging (25; 45.0%), dating websites (17; 31.0%). The reported purposes for using technology tools were: to update and obtain information, for research, for fun, and to talk to relatives and friends. In conclusion, nurses should be aware of this technological profile that is being outlined among the elderly population and search for ways to include computer tools in the care provided to this group.

[Factors of work dissatisfaction according to the perception of nurses of a university hospital]. / Fatores de insatisfação no trabalho segundo a percepção de enfermeiros de um hospital universitário.

This study aims to identify factors of work dissatisfaction through the point of view of nurses of a university hospital. This is a qualitative study with a descriptive-exploratory approach. Two categories emerged from the analysis of the interviews carried out with 6 nurses: "Personal Dimension" and "Institutional Dimension". The category "Personal Dimension" is formed by the units of significance "Sentiments Related to Work" and Atttitudes Related to Work", whereas the category "Institutional Dimension" includes the units of significance "Conditions of Work" and "Interpersonal Relationship". The factors of dissatisfaction identified in the interviews include both personal and institutional aspects, and show positive correlation with the findings of other studies on this subject. Work dissatisfaction does not impact only on the assistance for the patient, but also on the professional, what reflects on the quality of their work and productivity too.

[The academic participation and its influence on the professional life according to the perceptions of nurses]. / A participação acadêmica e sua influência na vida profissional segundo a percepção de enfermeiros.

This study had the purpose to understand academic participation and its relation with the professional life, according to the perception of nurses who experience it. The study was based on the precepts of qualitative research and the modality of the phenomenon, or Phenomenology. The subjects who participated in this study were seven egress nurses, interviewed with the guiding question How do you see the participation in academic life in relation to professional life? The following themes were registered, according to ideographic and nomothetic analyses: Educational Institution--producer of human resources, Healthcare Institution--receiver of human resources, and the relationship between the Educational Institution and the Healthcare Institution. It is understood that, in spite of being distinct modalities, academic participation and professional participation are inter-related, unveiling the undeniable relationship between the Educational Institution and the Healthcare Institution, with space for experiencing the participative process.

[College program evaluation according to graduates]. / Avaliação de Curso de Graduação segundo egressos.

Every day, college graduates face complex situations that make them check skills developed during the course in comparison with the skills needed at the professional level. This experience helps them evaluate the adequacy of the course's teaching structure and recover intervening aspects of this process. This text discusses the Evaluation of College Courses, recovering concepts in the field of Education Evaluation; describes the practices developed in Brazil, directed towards course evaluation, based on the graduate's perspective. The following descriptors were used: college graduates, indicators, evaluation and graduation available in the databases: PeriEnf, BDEnf, LILACS and DEDALUS. The analysis of the surveyed studies highlights the need to consider the opinion of college graduates in the curriculum proposals with a view to implementing an educational process with emancipating and transforming characteristics.

[Educational technology: assessment of a nursing personnel delegation website]. / Tecnologia educacional: avaliação de um web site sobre Escala de Pessoal de Enfermagem.

The use of information technology is a current reality in all fields of human knowledge. Technological incorporation has taken place in healthcare services, teaching institutions, as well as in the nurse's various work processes. This study aimed at evaluating a website developed perform a Nursing Personnel Delegation Plan, a quite relevant tool in healthcare human resources management. The methodology involved quantitative research with faculty members in the field of nursing administration and students from the eight public universities in São Paulo state offering Nursing programs. Among the major results, it was pointed out that 85% of the evaluators considered the website to be excellent or satisfactory. Comments sent by e-mail were also assessed; additionally, the website's authors performed a self-evaluation. The website was considered to be useful for both the professional practice (81.7% from excellent to satisfactory) and teaching (84.6% from excellent to satisfactory).

[Theoretical background for the construction and establishment of quality indicators in health]. / Subsídios teóricos para a construção e implantação de indicadores de qualidade em saúde.

The indicators integrate a number of important tools to evaluate and monitor quality of a service, concerning access to effectiveness, efficacy, confidence and completeness of work processes, which can be a valuable practice to assess health services. Thus, the aim of this study is to describe the elements of this construction and to establish indicators. Consequently, theoretical background of various specialists and organizations were adopted, in order to discuss quality issues and evaluate health services. It was concluded that in the management area, the use of indicators favors the identification of problems, subsidize actions and effective decisions, monitoring its development. Regarding the assistance area, it facilitates the review of the adopted protocols and of the obtained results, aiming to reach patterns of excellence. In the teaching and research areas, it makes available a valid instrument for the scientific community, articulating interests and demands of services and researches.

[Use of indicator of nursing assistance to base qualification program]. / Uso de indicador de qualidade para fundamentar programa de capacitação de profissionais de enfermagem.

Descriptive-exploratory study, aiming to propose a program of qualification for the nursing staff, based on an indicator of healthcare quality related to the newborn's skin integrity during a given period of hospital internment. Data from 121 newborns, collected during their stays at a neonatal unit of a university hospital according to the acquired skin injuries, associated risk factors and injury records in files of the nursing assistance system. 230 skin injuries were identified, with the most frequent types being ecchymosis, perineal erythemas, moniliasis, and, in lower amounts, infiltrations, bruises, erosion, fissures, excoriations, abscesses and impetigo. The results served as the base for the elaboration of a qualification program supported on the principles of the collective planning and development of technical-scientific, ethical-political and socio-educational competences. The development of this study made it evident that it is important to apply indicators of quality as one of the tools to evaluate the management of healthcare provision.

[Organizational structure of nursing services: reflections on the influence of the organizational power and culture]. / Estrutura organizacional do serviço de enfermagem: reflexões sobre a influência do poder e da cultura organizacional.

This study addresses the culture and power influencing the organizational structure of the nursing services at a teaching hospital. The Nursing Service organizational structure (organization chart) was outlined due to the need of the general management of the hospital to standardize the nursing procedures. Due to this situation, the nursing managers' interest has arisen to widen the power setting, strengthening nursing in an intra-institutional environment.

Educational software for scheduling nursing personnel: elaboration, development and application through the internet.

This study aimed to describe the development stages of software about Nursing Staff Scale, created to support teaching of the subject, as well as to serve as a consultation instrument for professional nurses, since it joins labor legislation, testimonies and simulation. The adopted methodology consisted of the planning and developmental phases, with various stages and professionals, as detailed in the article. Although the need for continuous updating of the system is recognized, the availability of a resource that is easily accessed through the world wide web is considered an advance in teaching and in nurses' management practice.

[Thoughts on teaching competences in nursing]. / Reflexões sobre competência docente no ensino de enfermagem.

This theoretical-analytical study is aimed at discussing the concepts of teaching competences in Nursing courses in Brazil, with the starting point being the transfer of this concept from the professional practice. Nursing education takes place in a specific environment and puts into effect the pedagogical phenomena among the complex relations that occur between instructor, pupil, patient and family. Therefore, instructors and nurse-educators experience the activities of teaching-learning in Nursing in the processes of educational, caring and management work. For such new conformation of the teaching-learning process it is necessary not only that the new nurses, but the current and future nurse-instructors as well, develop abilities that make possible for them to think and act with ethics and boldness.

[Implementation of nursing diagnosis at a university hospital: a participatory experience]. / Implementação do diagnóstico de enfermagem em um hospital universitário: uma experiência participativa.

The Nursing Department (ND) at the University Hospital of the University of Sao Paulo (USP) started the process of implementing the Nursing Diagnosis (DEn) classification system as a step of the Nursing Care System (NCS) in December 2001. In order to implement the DEns, a preliminary study was carried out at the Medical Clinic Unit, in which the nurses--based on North American Nursing Diagnosis Association International referential theory--selected the DEns, compatible nursing interventions, and built an instrument called "Nursing Diagnosis/Evaluation/Prescription". The development of the preliminary study allowed the DE manager to improve the implementation of DEn system and to stress the importance of the effective participation of the practice nurses. The methodology of this study was successfully reproduced in other units of the ND.

Meanings of the nursing diagnosis implementation process for nurses at a university hospital.

This qualitative study aims to understand the meanings nurses at a university hospital attribute to the implementation process of the Nursing Diagnosis Classification System (DEn) as a phase in the Nursing Care System (NCS). Data were collected through interviews with eight nurses from the Medical Clinical Unit, who participated in the creation of an instrument to implement the DEn in the NCS. In their reports, the respondents expressed a positive change in their feelings, from initial discomfort and adverse perception of the change proposal. The stepwise appropriation of the process stages allowed them, besides the sharing of feelings, decisions and responsibilities for the results, to develop the belief that they would able to overcome the difficulties.