[Technical safety index of a teaching hospitals pediatrics unit nursing staff].

This study was aimed at identifying the Technical Safety Index (ITS, in the Portuguese acronym) of the nursing team of the University of São Paulo's Hospital Universitário's Pediatrics Unit (2001-2005). Percentages for each type of absence of nursing professionals were obtained from the Nursing Department or calculated based on the equations found in the literature. Absences due to days off were the highest percentage. Total percentages of unplanned absences were lower than those referring to planned absences, which contradict nurses who report this type of absence as the main cause for health institutions understaffing. IST variation highlights the importance of carrying out systematic evaluations of the nursing team's absences, as well as of identifying specific indexes for each unit, as subsidies for the evaluation of the personnel in health organizations.