Occupational risks in nursing work: a contextual analysis

Abstract

The practical reality of the work of nursing professionals shows that they have a lack of knowledge on the relationship of work and health-illness processes, which has resulted in their inability to recognize the workplace as a possible causal agent for health problems and a lack of information on the occupational risks to which they are exposed. The purpose of this article is to analyze the contextual aspects of the occupational risks in the work of Nursing. The aim is to obtain a better understanding of the interrelationship between work and the healthillness process in the worker, and its determining factors. The study is an Integrative Review of the Literature using the theoretical support offered by Hinds, Chaves, and Cypress (1992) for the comprehension of phenomena – the analysis of the four interactive contextual layers of reality – immediate, specific, general, and metacontext. The contextual layers are inherently different and contain the significance of the phenomenon that ranges from the individual to the universal levels. The study allowed a reflection about the reality of the occupational risks to which health professionals are exposed, especially nurse workers, thereby contributing to the expansion of the discussion in search of better work conditions and an improved quality of life.