[Work ability among nursing workers at the emergency service of a university hospital]

In a couple of years, the demographic and epidemiologic transition observed in Brazil will put this country in a worldwide position of prominence in relation to the aged population. Furthermore, the need for economic adaptation and consequent changes in Brazilian social security will result in workers staying in the labor market for a larger period of time, thus influencing their functional ability. This study aimed to evaluate work ability among nursing workers at the Emergency Service of a University Hospital. Study participants were fifty-four workers (40 women and 14 men), whose ages ranged from 23 to 53 years (average age 37.3 years). We used the Work Ability Index (WAI), an instrument developed in Finland, which presented an average value of 42.0. The most mentioned diseases with medical diagnosis were musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological. We consider that health promotion at work is one of the fundamental aspects for maintaining work ability.