Nurses' work process in an emergency hospital service.

OBJECTIVES to analyze the nurses' work process in an Emergency Hospital Service. METHODS a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research conducted with 17 nurses from the emergency service of a high complexity hospital in southern Brazil. Data were collected through interviews, focus group and document analysis. Data analysis followed the thematic content analysis framework. RESULTS four categories emerged: Work environment characteristics; Assistance dimension; Management dimension; Care management. Final Considerations: the nurses' work process in Emergency Hospital Service is characterized by the peculiarities of the setting, with centrality in care and care management aiming at quality care and safety to patients.