SEGURANÇA DO PACIENTE NA UTI

Principais Eventos Adversos e Atuação da Enfermagem

Abstract

The present study addresses patient safety in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), focusing on mitigating adverse events (AE) in the critical environment. The general objective was to evaluate safety protocols and nursing care practices aimed at promoting safety and reducing risks in patients admitted to the ICU. Methodologically, it is characterized as an integrative literature review, of a descriptive and exploratory nature, with a search carried out in the SciELO, Google Scholar and VHL databases. The final sample was made up of 09 scientific articles published between 2021 and 2026. The results showed that the most prevalent incidents in the intensive unit are pressure injuries, followed by medication errors and falls, which are exacerbated by factors such as polypharmacy, clinical severity and work overload. It was identified that the application of predictive tools, such as the Morse Scale, still faces operational barriers and interpretative divergences among professionals. Furthermore, the institutional punitive culture remains an obstacle to security, favoring underreporting of events. It is concluded that the nursing team constitutes the final barrier of patient protection, and the transition to systemic risk management is essential. Continuing education and the implementation of verification technologies, such as checklists, are essential strategies for converting theoretical knowledge into safe bedside practices, guaranteeing the integrity of critically ill patients.