Relational competence of nurses in surgical center units

Abstract

Objective: to identify and describe how relational competence is developed in surgical nurses’ day-to-day work and identify when and in what situations nurses use this competence. Method: qualitative, exploratory study. The scenario were surgical units at five private hospitals in a municipality in Minas Gerais, and the sample comprised 43 nurses working in these units. The focal group technique was applied in 2018 and the data were interpreted by inductive thematic analysis. Results: relational competence was found to be developed by the nurses’ acquiring and developing capacities/skills, such as conflict management, assertive communication, people management by appropriate personnel scaling, and emotional intelligence. Final considerations: the surgical environment demands activities that heighten nurses’ physical and emotional exhaustion, and its effects on other members of the health team, making it essential to improve capacities/skills in relational competence.