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.