Working conditions of practical nurses in an orthopedics and trauma institute of a public hospital in São Paulo, Brazil

Abstract

This study refers to a previous research related to aging and work (Gonçalves, 2001) conducted in a public hospital of São Paulo, Brazil. It was observed there is a decrease in working ability among practical nurses, due to working conditions and heavy job demands performed at work. Objectives: To present an evaluation of the practical nurses´ working places during their daily 12-hour shifts, either during the day and at night. Working conditions of day and night shifts and wards of the hospital are described and compared. The observations were performed in various sections of the same hospital. The method used to collect the data was based on the ergonomic analysis technique by Rohmert and Landau (1983). Although day shifts demand considerable working load, night shifts can be equally exerting due to the reduced number of practical nurses during this period. It is of great importance to adapt the number of people on duty in each sector to the hospital according to work demands. This would help to overcome the hardships when healthcare personnel perform their routine tasks, as well as to promote better working conditions.