Difficulties experienced by nurses in reception and risk classification: an integrative review

Introduction: Risk Classification and Reception (ACCR) is a guideline for organizing the urgent and emergency care network, aiming to manage patient demand by identifying those requiring immediate care and organizing cases that can wait - this being a role assigned to nursing professionals. Objective: To analyze the main difficulties faced by nurses in implementing ACCR in the context of urgent and emergency care, based on the literature. Methodology: This is an integrative literature review using the digital library Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), the Virtual Health Library (VHL) for the LILACS (Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences) and the Nursing Database (BDEnf), as well as Scopus, Web of Science, PUBMED, and Embase, including articles from the last ten years (2013-2022). The search was conducted between August and October 2023. Results: A total of 209 articles related to the topic were found in the databases, and eight were selected for this review. The study sought to highlight the main challenges experienced by nurses, both personally and in the work environment, as well as the functioning of ACCR from their perspective. Conclusion: The main difficulties identified include the lack of nurse training, insecurity, lack of knowledge about the protocol used, overcrowding, insufficient information provided to users regarding the ACCR process, stress, and work overload.