To analyze the difficulties encountered by nurses when providing care to people with psychiatric comorbidity in the general emergency unit and their suggestions for improving the care of these patients.
This is a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory study conducted with twelve nurses at a general hospital in southern Brazil, in 2016. Information was collected during an interview and the results were evaluated using content analysis.
Data interpretation led to two categories: Difficulties of nurses when providing care to people with psychiatric comorbidity and Nurses’ suggestions to improve care for people with psychiatric comorbidity. The first category is related to the physical structure and material resources of the service, overcrowding, and lack of preparation of the team and professionals who provide psychiatric consultations. In the second category, the workers suggested a care flow chart, psychiatric consultations, and team training.
We must transcend the fragmentation of care from the education years of health professionals, emphasize the need for training, and make greater investments in health education.
