Morbidity among nursing personnel and its association with working conditions and work organization

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

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.

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.

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).

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.