Illness in nursing workers: a literature review

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Nursing Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Nursing is vital but demanding, often leading to worker illness.
• Understanding illness profiles and contributing factors in nursing is crucial for worker well-being and healthcare quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the illness profile of nursing professionals in Brazil.
• To identify the relationship between working conditions and work-related illnesses in this population.

Main Methods:

• Integrative literature review of studies from 2010-2018.
• Searched the Virtual Health Library using keywords: "worker," "nursing," and "illness."
• Included 21 articles, categorizing illnesses using the International Classification of Diseases.

Main Results:

• Most frequent illnesses include mental and behavioral disorders, and musculoskeletal/connective tissue diseases.
• Key contributing working conditions identified: work organization, team dynamics, professional overload, and understaffing.
• Studies predominantly focused on nurses in emergency, general hospital, and intensive care settings.

Conclusions:

• Work-related illnesses are a significant concern for Brazilian nursing professionals.
• Identified gaps in research highlight the need for further studies across diverse nursing areas.
• Addressing working conditions is essential to improve nurses' quality of life and healthcare service quality.