Nursing care management strategies to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective: To characterize nursing care management strategies for addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method: A descriptive, qualitative study conducted with 22 nurse professionals at a University Hospital in Southern Brazil. Data collection through interviews in June and August 2021, analyzed according to Bardin's Content Analysis and the theoretical framework of complex thinking.

Results: The identified strategies were organized into four categories: Reorganization of health services; People management and emergency admission; Multiprofessional articulation; and Bedside nursing care.

Final Considerations: Professional performance revealed a complex interplay between leadership and care management practices, even in the face of working condition restrictions, and were understood as crucial in the pandemic scenario.