[Group and group interaction in nurses' activities: a needed knowledge].

Abstract

This study aimed at verifying the knowledge of nurses about groups and group functioning, as well as knowing which premises found their activities as coordinators of their working teams. The research was outlined by the descriptive-exploratory approach, carried out in a university hospital in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The results show that 97% of the participants like group work while 77.7% of the nurses use both empirical and theoretical knowledge as the basis for their activities. However, most of them were unaware of the meaning of operative group and basic assumptions. By using the empiric and theoretical knowledge, the nurse can have tools to work with group emotions and support actions regarding the client's care.