Association Between Workload and Absenteeism in Nursing Technicians

Abstract

Objective: to identify absenteeism of nursing technicians in an Intensive Care Unit and to verify the association between absenteeism and workload. Method: cross-sectional retrospective study of documentary source and quantitative approach. It was performed in an adult intensive care unit with 4,920 measurements from the Nursing Activities Score in 2017, in order to extract the nursing workload, and control absenteeism, considering the absences recorded in the management register of the department. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was performed, dividing the intensive care unit into two groups (ICU I and ICU II), according to team shifts. Results: in the period analyzed, 461 absences were observed, with a higher proportion in ICU II (5.35%, p-value=0.00). This group also had the highest Nursing Activities Score (99.76) average. However, workload and absenteeism showed no statistically significant correlation in the analyzed groups (ICU I, r=0.02 and ICU II, r=0.06). Conclusion: there was no statistically significant association between absenteeism and workload of nursing technicians in the Intensive Care Unit. However, the team with the highest workload was the most absent.

Work environment of hospital nurses during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Brazil

“…A previous study highlights that teamwork, companionship and help from professional colleagues in daily activities can influence the perception of nursing professionals about the workload, mitigating the difficulties of the work environment (Feldhaus 2019). Thus, it is possible to consider that the work context to which the professionals are exposed mobilizes them to develop a collaborative practice and to cultivate a collective spirit of mutual help.…”

Absenteísmo na equipe de enfermagem intensivista: contribuições da literatura brasileira

“…Pesquisa desenvolvida no Paraná apontou que a carga de trabalho pode influenciar o absenteísmo entre técnicos de enfermagem, pois, ainda que não sido verificada associação estatística significativa entre essas variáveis, a equipe com a maior demanda de trabalho (mensurada pelo Nursing Activities Score) foi a que mais se ausentou do trabalho na UTI investigada 13 . Neste sentido, reforça-se que o controle do absenteísmo da equipe de enfermagem intensivista, inclusive, é um objetivo que demanda visão gerencial sistêmica, mas que provavelmente as condições de trabalho e as cargas dos quais os profissionais são expostos devem ser considerados de forma especial nesse processo.…”

Dimensões laborais, éticas e políticas do dimensionamento de pessoal de enfermagem diante da COVID-19

“…More than this, it is important to note that a recent study conducted before the advent of COVID-19 in the interior of São Paulo estimated an TSI around 40% (42% for nurses and 38% for nursing technicians), 41 i.e., even outside the context of the pandemic, absenteeism is a clear reality of nursing and may be related to workload and understaffing. 42 There is an estimated deficit of 23,961 nursing professionals in Brazil, 8,430 nurses and 15,531 technicians/auxiliaries, 41 which hampers the adequate response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country and care outside it. During the pandemic, 8,680 complaints were received by the Regional Nursing Councils, which referred especially to the shortage of PPE, followed by the shortage of nursing professionals.…”