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.

Objective:To identify the workloads present in the work activities of community health agents (CHAs) and the resulting strain processes. Method: A descriptive, exploratory, cross-sectional and quantitative study conducted with 137 CHAs. Data were collected through a questionnaire and interview guided by the health surveillance software called SIMOSTE (Health Monitoring System of Nursing Workers), following the ethical codes of the current law. Results: In total, were identified 140 workloads involved in 122 strain processes, represented by the occurrence of health problems of the CHAs. The mechanical (55.00%) and biological (16.43%) loads stood out. The most common strain processes were the external causes of morbidity and mortality (62.31%) and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (10.66%). Conclusion: From the identified overloads, it became evident that all workloads are present in the work process of CHAs, highlighting the mechanical load, represented mainly by external causes of morbidity and mortality that are related to occupational accidents.

RESUMO Objetivo Mensurar a exposição dos trabalhadores às cargas de trabalho, aos processos de desgaste e as suas consequências, por meio de indicadores. Método Estudo epidemiológico descritivo, transversal e quantitativo, realizado em doze unidades de três hospitais de ensino do município de São Paulo. A população foi de 452 trabalhadores de enfermagem e a coleta de dados foi realizada por meio do software Sistema de Monitoramento da Saúde do Trabalhador de Enfermagem (SIMOSTE) nos prontuários dos trabalhadores de enfermagem. Os dados foram analisados segundo indicadores que permitiram apreender a dinâmica organizacional (DO), os problemas de saúde dos trabalhadores (PS) e suas consequências (CO). Resultados Os indicadores PS evidenciam 879 exposições às cargas de trabalho e 1.355 processos de desgaste. Os indicadores de CO mostram 2.709 dias perdidos em um ano. Conclusões A exposição às diferentes cargas de trabalho submete os trabalhadores a inúmeros processos de desgaste, os quais devem ser monitorados para que sejam implementadas medidas preventivas.

Aim: To compare presenteeism levels among three samples of nurses and to identify the relationship between presenteeism and sociodemographic and professional characteristics. Background: Presenteeism (going to work ill) is a phenomenon studied from different perspectives, and it has become especially important during the current COVID-19 outbreak; its connection to high healthcare costs, patient safety breaches and negative nurse well-being has been proved. Introduction: The nursing profession is particularly associated with caring for the culture of teamwork, loyalty to colleagues and professional identity. This condition enhances the 'super nurse phenomenon', even though nurses do not feel physically and psychologically able to work. Methods: A multicentre, cross-sectional study was conducted in three different country contexts: Oviedo (Spain), Porto (Portugal) and São Paulo (Brazil). Nurses performing functions in hospitals and primary health care were enrolled. Informed consent and data collection questionnaires were hand delivered. The Stanford Presenteeism Scale-6 was applied. Results: A total of 659 nurses participated. Portuguese nurses showed greater prevalence of presenteeism, followed by Brazilian and Spanish nurses. Younger nurses with less professional experience presented lower levels of presenteeism but greater psychological commitment. Male participants showed lower capacity to complete work when ill than female participants. Conclusions: Age and length of professional experience proved to be significant predictors of total presenteeism, although only professional experience revealed statistical significance in the adjusted model. Implications for Nursing and Health Policy: The knowledge of this phenomenon among nurses highlights the need for the development of strategies in the curriculum of nursing students and organizations. Resilience and ergonomic training should be applied in the training programmes of the students and reinforced by the health centre managers. It is essential that healthcare systems design worksite wellness programmes that pursue greater physical and mental well-being for healthcare professionals.

Trata-se de um estudo exploratório e descritivo com abordagem qualitativa, que compreende sentimentos que perpassam o processo de trabalho do enfermeiro em três universidades privadas do Município de São Paulo, revelando-se experiências enriquecedoras de significados do saber-fazer na prática docente. Assim, a presente investigação tem como objetivo identificar os aspectos geradores de prazer e de sofrimento no processo de trabalho do enfermeiro docente, analisados segundo o referencial teórico de Christophe Dejours, pontuando-se a importância de fatores psicossociais em relação ao objeto estudado. Os resultados da investigação apontam para as relações ambíguas presentes no processo de trabalho dos docentes, expressando sentimentos de prazer e sofrimento decorrentes dessa prática e evidenciando as condições e a organização do trabalho como elementos que podem potencializar tais sentimentos no cotidiano do trabalho do enfermeiro naquelas instituições.