Unidentified women in emergency services: care provided in public hospital emergency services.

OBJECTIVES

to verify the associations between sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and the identification process of unidentified women in a public emergency service.

METHODS

a quantitative, descriptive, and retrospective study that analyzed 58 medical records of unidentified women treated between 2019 and 2022.

RESULTS

the mean age was 32.2 years, and 75.8% were of mixed race. Admissions occurred mainly in the early morning hours, and 48.2% were referred by the Mobile Emergency Care Service. Cases classified as orange/very urgent predominated, with assaults being the most prominent. Non-identification persisted in 70.6% of cases in the emergency room and in 62% until the outcome. Identification and clinical outcome showed a significant association (χ2=15.696; p=0.047), with a higher frequency of direct discharge and death among unidentified women.

CONCLUSIONS

maintaining anonymity compromises patient safety, reinforcing the need to improve nursing care management with effective identification and screening strategies sensitive to social and clinical vulnerability.