Nursing care in patients with hypertensive crisis in the emergency area: a systematic review

Abstract

Introduction: Hypertensive crises are a common reason for visits to emergency departments, where the pressure on healthcare services and the risk of organ damage necessitates nursing care focused on assessment, hemodynamic monitoring, and the prevention of complications. Objective: To systematically analyze the available scientific evidence on nursing care provided to patients with hypertensive crises in the emergency department. Methodology: A systematic review was conducted following the 2020 PRISMA guidelines. The search was performed in the PubMed, Scopus, SciELO, and Redalyc databases for studies published between 2020 and 2025 in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Results: Of the 917 articles identified, 20 studies that met the eligibility criteria were included after the selection process. The analyzed evidence showed that nursing care based on systematic assessment protocols and continuous monitoring promotes safe hemodynamic stabilization and progressive blood pressure control. Furthermore, differentiating between hypertensive urgency and emergency, timely therapeutic adjustment, and monitoring of pharmacological response contribute to preventing cardiovascular, neurological, and renal complications. Integrating nurses into the multidisciplinary team optimizes clinical decision-making and reduces adverse events. Conclusion: The evidence confirms that nursing care in hypertensive crisis is essential for hemodynamic stabilization and the prevention of complications, provided that evidence-based protocols, rigorous monitoring, and timely clinical intervention in the emergency are implemented.