Resiliência, estresse ocupacional e capacidade para o trabalho em profissionais de saúde durante a pandemia da COVID19

Abstract

Health professionals are considered one of the categories with the most risk of illness, due to the characteristics inherent to their work nature. This context was aggravated by the COVID19 pandemic, subjecting this class to a work overload, increased risk of illness and withdrawal from their routine. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the relationship between resilience, occupational stress and work ability in professionals who work in direct care of patients with COVID-19. This is a quantitative, cross-sectional and correlational research with 91 employees (nurses, nursing technicians, physicians and physiotherapists) from a reference hospital in Rio Grande do Norte. Employees answered a Sociodemographic Questionnaire (social and work context data), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, the Work Stress Scale and the Work Ability Index. The results indicated lower levels in resilience and occupational stress constructs, and a good work ability of the total sample. Regarding the resilience instrument, it showed a significant association with nurses and other female participants, both showing lower resilience. In regard of work stress, the nurses along with nursing technicians, demonstrated a risk in face of a high level of stress. Furthermore, the cluster analysis evidenced the existence of three clusters that are distributed across differentc scores on the scales, with emphasis on Cluster 1, which presented critical values in all instruments and denoted suffering in face of work experience and the need for interventions. It appears that the daily experiences of health teams during the pandemic influenced their perception of work and their ability to deal or overcome adversity. Another relevant aspect is the functionality and physical and mental resources to carry on their work activities.