Examining presenteeism and productivity losses among nursing workers: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Objective To characterize presenteeism and productivity losses among nursing professionals in public and private health services. Method A cross-sectional study was conducted with 123 participants from a public hospital and 159 from a private hospital in Manaus, Brazil. The Sociodemographic Health Questionnaire was utilized to assess presenteeism, while the Work Limitations Questionnaire measured productivity losses. Data were analyzed using non-parametric methods. Results Health-related work loss and presenteeism were reported by 50.41% of public sector professionals and 39.62% of private sector professionals. Despite this, presenteeism was more prevalent in the private sector (93.65%) compared to the public sector. Common health issues included musculoskeletal (26.49%), mental/behavioral (19.21%), respiratory (17.22%), neurological (16.56%), and gastrointestinal (5.96%) conditions. Additionally, 54.24% of private sector professionals and 44.23% of public sector professionals did not seek treatment. The private sector exhibited greater limitations in receiving care due to time management (40.34%), mental-interpersonal tasks (49.95%), production tasks (52.54%), and physical tasks (61.30%), resulting in higher productivity losses among nurses (13.46%) and nursing technicians (15.82%). High-complexity sectors demonstrated the greatest productivity losses. Conclusion The study identified significant differences in the characteristics of presenteeism and productivity losses between nursing professionals in the public and private health sectors. These results point to the need to improve management and occupational safety and regulatory measures to solve workers' health problems and mitigate presenteeism and productivity losses in the public and private health sectors.