[Emergency Ward: a view on the interaction between nursing professionals and patients].

This research study was carried out in a public tertiary emergency hospital in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, with 20 professionals of nursing (2 nurses, 11 technicians, and 7 auxiliaries). It aimed at analyzing the role of communication in the interaction of professionals with patients, and at identifying its importance for nurse professionals. Data were collected using individual interviews. Content analyses revealed three main categories: difficulties imposed by the emergency ward environment on proper communication, dichotomy between doing and executing, and communication as care--revealing a mechanization of communication and its need by the patient.