[Nursing process: what does it mean to nurses from Santa Cruz (Bolivia)?].

Bolivian nurses have not yet incorporated the scientific method and taxonomies into nursing care. This qualitative study aims at understanding the meaning that faculty and nursing professionals from the Department of Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Bolivia) attribute to the nursing process. Data collection was performed through interviews and participant observation. The analysis was performed using the theoretical and methodological framework of Symbolic Interactionism and Grounded Theory, utilizing ATLAS.ti.6.0. The following topics emerged from the data: difficulties in implementing the nursing process due to a lack of preparation and training in leadership, dominance by physicians, lack of records, and poor support from the institution. Advantages were that it combines criteria and language and facilitates the autonomous role of nursing. In conclusion, nurses should establish their professional expectations regarding the implementation of the nursing process and care plans, which is a cultural change that involves faculty, management and clinical nurses.