Illness in nursing workers: a literature review

Nursing work is highly relevant to society but is associated with significant suffering as well as physical and emotional demands that often result in illness. In light of these observations, we sought to explore the profile of illness in nursing professionals in Brazil and identify its relationship to working conditions. This was achieved through an integrative literature review of studies in the Virtual Health Library published between 2010 and 2018, retrieved with the keywords “worker,” “nursing” and “illness.” Twenty-one articles were included in this review. Illnesses described by the articles were categorized according to the International Classification of Diseases. Mental and behavioral disorders, as well as diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissues, were the most frequently cited. The working conditions most commonly mentioned in connection with work-related illness were the work organization, team profiles, professional overload, and understaffing. Most studies involved nurses in emergency care, general hospitals, and intensive care units. Gaps in the knowledge on other areas of nursing work and illnesses were identified, demonstrating the need for further studies on the topic to improve workers’ quality of life, and consequently, the quality of the service offered.