THE ROLE OF NURSING IN PROMOTING HUMANIZED CARE IN EMERGENCY AND URGENT CARE UNITS: AN INTEGRATIVE LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Emergency and urgent care is characterized by highly complex situations, healthcare overload, and the need for rapid decisions, factors that frequently challenge the implementation of humanized practices. In this context, Nursing stands out as a protagonist in promoting care that combines technical competence, welcoming, empathy, and respect for the patient's dignity. This study aimed to analyze the role of Nursing in humanized care in emergency and urgent care units, identifying practices developed, challenges faced, and contributions of this care model to the quality of care. This is an integrative literature review conducted in the SciELO, PubMed, and LILACS databases, using the descriptors "Nursing," "Humanized care," "Emergency and urgent care," "Nursing care," and "Humanization of care," combined with the Boolean operator "AND." Articles published between 2019 and 2025, peer-reviewed, available in full text, and aligned with the research objective were included. The results showed that humanization in the emergency context is associated with practices such as qualified reception, effective communication, sensitive listening, and patient-centered care, contributing to higher quality of care, strengthening the bond between professionals, patients, and families, and greater user satisfaction. Challenges such as overcrowding, insufficient human resources, work overload, and structural limitations were also identified, factors that impact the consolidation of these practices. It is concluded that humanized care is a fundamental element in nursing care in urgent and emergency situations, requiring investment in professional training, reorganization of work processes, and strengthening of institutional protocols that promote comprehensive, ethical, and effective care.