[Patient classification system: identification of the patient care profile at hospitalization units of the UH-USP].

This exploratory-descriptive study aimed to identify the patient care profile at the Hospitalization Units of the University Hospital-USP to support human resource allocation, to evaluate the nursing staff and to ground decision-making processes on nursing care organization and planning. In order to get to know the patients' care complexity profile, the patient classification instrument was used, developed and established at the Medical Clinic Unit of the UH-USP since 1990. The study results allowed us to evaluate the adequacy of the classification system used and provided information on the patients' care profile and the work load at each Hospitalization Unit, thus, supporting management decisions on human resource allocation, care planning and service organization in view of clients' demands.