Many affected counties have had experienced a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. We aimed to investigate the needs of healthcare professionals and the technical difficulties faced by them during the initial outbreak. A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted among the healthcare workforce in the most populous cities from three Latin American countries in April 2020. In total, 1,082 participants were included. Of these, 534 (49.4%), 263 (24.3%), and 114 (10.5%) were physicians, nurses, and other professionals, respectively. At least 70% of participants reported a lack of PPE. The most common shortages were shortages in gown coverall suits (643, 59.4%), N95 masks (600, 55.5%), and face shields (569, 52.6%). Professionals who performed procedures that generated aerosols reported shortages more frequently (p<0.05). Professionals working in the emergency department and primary care units reported more shortages than those working in intensive care units and hospital-based wards (p<0.001). Up to 556 (51.4%) participants reported the lack of sufficient knowledge about using PPE. Professionals working in public institutions felt less prepared, received less training, and had no protocols compared with their peers in working private institutions (p<0.001). Although the study sample corresponded to different hospital centers in different cities from the participating countries, sampling was non-random. Healthcare professionals in Latin America may face more difficulties than those from other countries, with 7 out of 10 professionals reporting that they did not have the necessary resources to care for patients with COVID-19. Technical and logistical difficulties should be addressed in the event of a future outbreak, as they have a negative impact on healthcare workers. Clinical trial registration: NCT04486404

This is a qualitative descriptive, transversal study aiming to analyze the amount and causes of sick leave of nursing professionals and its relationship with the occupation tax of the hospitalization units in a teaching hospital. The methodology was divided into two phases: demographic characterization of professionals and identification and analysis of absences regarding the amount and type of sick leaves, medical diagnosis and its relationship with the occupation tax of the Hospital. The nursing professionals presented the greatest amount of sick leaves. Diseases of the osteomuscular system and of the connective tissue represented 4,957 days (41.5%) of absences and mental and behavioral disorders 3,393 days (28.4%). The monthly percentage of sick licenses was inversely proportional to the occupation tax, suggesting that professionals were absent due to diseases after being submitted to greater work load. KEY WORDSNursing. Absenteeism. Personnel management. Nursing staff, hospital. RESUMENEstudio de naturaleza descriptiva, transversal, elaborada con el objetivo de analisar la cantidad y las causas del afastamiento por enfermedad de los profesionales de enfermería y su relación com la tasa de ocupación de las unidades de internación de un hospital de enseñanza. La metodología fue desarrollada en dos etapas: caracterización demográfica de los profisionales y la identificación y análisis de las ausencias en relación a la cantidad y tipos de afastamiento por enfermedad, a los diagnósticos médicos y en relación con la tasa de ocupación en el hospital. Los técnicos de enfermería fueron los que presentaron la mayor cantidad de licencias por enfermedad. Las enfermedades del sistema osteomuscular y del tejido conjuntivo representaron 4,957 días (41.5%) de ausencias y los trastornos mentales y comportamentales 3.393 días (28.4%). El percentual mensal de licencias por enfermedad fue inversamente proporcional a la tasa de ocupación, sugeriendo que los profesionales se ausentaron por enfermedad después de haberen sido sometidos a ritmos mayores de trabajo DESCRIPTORES Enfermería. Absentismo. Administración de personal. Personel de enfermería en hospital.

Objective: to identify the work process, the psychic workloads and the strains generated in nursing workers. Method: the study was developed in five Brazilian university hospitals. The sample was composed by 62 nursing workers and the data collection was done by focal group technique, followed by the application of a collective inquire. The data were quantitatively described and systematized according to a thematic analysis. Results: the study population represented 35,37% of the hospital workforce in national setting. The workers mentioned are exposure to several kinds of psychic workload and link them to with others workloads, highlighting the strain processes resulting from this kind of workload, such stress, fatigue, complaints of gastritis and headaches. Conclusions: nursing workers are exposed to several workloads in the hospital environment, especially psychic workloads. This exposure starts strain processes that compromise the health and quality of life, signaling the necessity of interventions in this reality. Cargas psíquicas y procesos de desgaste en trabajadores de enfermería de hospitales universitarios brasileñosEl objetivo de este estudio fue identificar el proceso de trabajo, las cargas psíquicas y los desgastes generados en trabajadores de enfermería. Se trata de un estudio desarrollado en cinco hospitales universitarios brasileños. La muestra fue compuesta por 62 trabajadores de enfermería; la recolección fue realizada por medio de la técnica de grupo focal, seguida de la aplicación de encuesta colectiva. Los datos fueron descritos numéricamente y sistematizados según análisis temático. La población de estudio representó 35,37% de la fuerza de trabajo hospitalario en el escenario nacional. Los trabajadores refirieron exposición a diversos tipos de cargas psíquicas y las relacionaron con otras cargas de trabajo, destacando los desgastes provenientes de este tipo de carga, como estrés, fatiga, gastritis y cefalea. Los trabajadores de enfermería están expuestos a las diversas cargas de trabajo en el ambiente hospitalario, especialmente a las cargas psíquicas. Esta exposición desencadena procesos de desgaste que comprometen la salud y calidad de vida, señalando la necesidad de realizar intervenciones en esta realidad.

This is an exploratory, descriptive and quantitative study, based on the following categories: work process, workloads and fatigue in a teaching hospital in Curitiba in the southern region of Brazil. The article characterizes the load and stress experienced in a university hospital, based on a previous study entitled "System for monitoring the health of nursing workers" (SIMOSTE). The results show that females were the most affected (85.9%) and the most affected professionals were nursing assistants (53.1%). The highest number of sick leaves was due to diseases of the osteoarticular system (25.2%) and the most significant loads were mechanical and physiological with 33.06% each. These results may support intervention strategies in the policies directed toward the workers' health to ensure a better quality of life and consequently improve the quality of care provided to the user.