Avaliação neurológica realizada por enfermeiros em vítimas de traumatismo cranioencefálico

Abstract

Objective. to analyze the understanding of nurses working in intensive care unit (ICU) on the neurological evaluation in traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method. it is a descriptive and qualitative approach, held in a public hospital in Mossoro, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The sample consisted of seven nurses working in ICU. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews that were discussed in basis of the content analysis. The research began only after approval by the institutional Ethics Committee under the Protocol number 107/10 and CAAE n. 2973.0.000.351-10. Results. the majority of nurses considered essential in evaluating neurological care for patients with TBI. But they were limited to applying the Glasgow Coma Scale, as was the lack of standardization in this service, making in a typical individual procedures. Conclusion. The results in this study suggest the limitation of knowledge about the neurological assessment applied to TBI's, by the nurses studied in this health unit.