Operationalization and applicability of the nursing process in a university hospital

Abstract

Objective: To understand the operationalization and applicability of the Nursing Process (NP) in University Hospitals (UHs), considering how this practice has been described in the literature, including the main challenges, potential, and contributions that the NP has demonstrated for the integration of care, teaching, and research in these settings. Literature review: The operationalization of the NP transcends technical norms to consolidate itself as an ethical-scientific axis of care. In UHs, it integrates teaching, research, care, and transforms clinical reasoning into patient safety. The effectiveness of the NP requires overcoming structural barriers, work overload, and human resource deficits through management that articulates clinical, critical, and holistic perspectives. By aligning standardized languages, care technologies, and the ethical imperative of treating the patient as an end in themselves, the NP mitigates risks and adverse events, in addition to elevating nursing to a leading role in delivering qualified, safe, individualized, and humane care. Final Considerations: The operationalization of the NP in UHs requires integration between teaching and service. By overcoming bureaucracy, the method becomes a strategic tool for management and safety. Its effectiveness depends on valuing the nurse as a critical-scientific professional, essential for humane, safe, and patient-centered care.