Morbidity among nursing personnel and its association with working conditions and work organization.
BACKGROUND
Work organization patterns and working conditions experienced by nursing personnel in the hospital settings may be associated to increased morbidity among these health workers.


OBJECTIVE
To estimate the prevalence and factors associated with self-reported diseases among nursing personnel at the emergency hospital in Rio Branco/State of Acre, Brazil.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 272 participants who answered a questionnaire including sociodemographic characteristics, working conditions, lifestyles, work ability, and a fatigue perception scale. The self-reported diseases in the 12 months prior to data collection were considered the dependent variable.


RESULTS
A total of 85.7% of the participants reported one or more diseases in the past 12 months. Most prevalent diseases were: musculoskeletal diseases (37.1%), digestive diseases (28.7%), mental disorders (28.3%), work injuries (27.9%), and respiratory diseases (26.8%). The following significant variables remained in the final model: high work demands (OR 2.69), reported fatigue (OR 3.59), night work (OR 6.55) and being a technician or nursing assistant (OR 4.23).


CONCLUSIONS
Variables related to working conditions and work organization were associated with the occurrence of reported diseases among nursing professionals. Health promotion measures at work require a comprehensive approach including the working conditions and the work organization.
Environmental Health Department, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, Dr Arnaldo Av, 715 CEP 01246-904 São Paulo, Brazil. suleimav@usp.br
S
S
Vasconcelos
E
E
Marqueze
L
L
Gonçalves
L
L
Lemos
L
L
Araújo
F M
FM
Fischer
C R C
CR
Moreno
D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004066:Digestive System Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005221:Fatigue / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009729:Nursing; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D060051:Occupational Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014940:Work Schedule Tolerance; D016526:Workload; D017132:Workplace / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult