RESUMO
The aim of this descriptive-exploratory study was to investigate the variability in the complexity of patients' nursing care needs during hospitalization and to identify the care indicators that most contribute to the transition between categories. The study was carried out at clinical and surgical inpatient units of a teaching hospital in the interior of São Paulo State. We included 80 patients from hospital admission to patient discharge, applying a classification instrument proposed and validated by Perroca. In both clinical and surgical inpatient units, patients who were classified into the minimal care category were predominant, 73% and 46%, respectively. Most of the clinical patients remained in the care category identified upon admission, while the surgical patients varied among the care categories, mainly in the post-operative period. Personal hygiene, locomotion and skin integrity were the most involved care indicators in the transition between care categories. The findings can support management decisions.