Characterization of the professional profile and working conditions of nurses in intensive care units

The development of political and academic actions aimed at increasing the quality of care and the outcomes of health care requires knowledge of the conditions of the nursing workforce in intensive care units.

To characterise the professional profile and working conditions of Intensive Care Unit nurses in Colombia.

Multicenter, cross-sectional observational study. A total of 433 Intensive Care Unit nurses in Colombia participated, the information was collected through an online survey. The information was analysed with RStudio statistical software. Descriptive statistics were used for the presentation of results.

79.4% of the nursing professionals were women with a mean age of 35.6(±) 9.6 years. A total of 63.9% worked in private adult Intensive Care Units and only 22.4% had a degree in Critical Care. The competencies that are permanently applied are care management, problem solving and communication; however, those related to teamwork and personal development are not fully developed. Regarding working conditions, it was found that: 71.6% have a nurse-patient ratio of 1:6 or more; only 47.5% have an indefinite term contract; 62% work have a salary remuneration of 3.5 minimum wages and only 66.2% are satisfied with their work.

The profile of nurses shows the need to strengthen specialised training, while skills and working conditions must be improved to guarantee quality care and the well-being of staff.