Work - Volume 45, issue 4

Authors: Fischer, Frida Marina | Martinez, Maria Carmen

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with work ability among nursing professionals. PARTICIPANTS: They comprised 514 nursing professionals (83.8% of the total number of workers) from a hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: In 2009, we conducted a cross-sectional study that was a part of a 5-year planned cohort study initiated in 2008. We administered a comprehensive questionnaire to the participants in order to obtain data on their sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyles, and working conditions. The …questionnaire also contained the Brazilian versions of the following: the Job Stress Scale (JSS), Effort-Reward Imbalance (ERI) Questionnaire, Work-Related Activities That May Contribute To Job-Related Pain and/or Injury (WRAPI), and Work Ability Index (WAI). The results were analyzed using descriptive, bivariate, and multivariate linear regression analyses. RESULTS: On the WAI, 74.9% of the workers obtained a score of over 40 points (score range 7–49); the mean score was 42.3 points (SD=4.5). The final multivariate model showed that lower WAI scores were related to the work-related outcome, which was work injury, and the following individual characteristics and working conditions: body mass index (p=0.001), sex (female; p=0.002), sedentariness (p < 0.001), time in the profession (p=0.005), social support at work (p=0.003), effort-reward ratio (p=0.001), violence at work (p=0.005), WRAPI score (p < 0.001), and work injuries (yes; p=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Various factors were associated with work ability. The results showed that a number of variables should be considered when planning and implementing actions to maintain or improve work ability among nursing professionals. Show more

Keywords: Work stressors, psychosocial factors at work, worker's health, work ability

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131637

Citation: Work, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 509-517, 2013

Authors: Lancman, Selma | Mângia, Elisabete Ferreira | Muramoto, Melissa Tieko

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Emergency room (ER) work includes dealing with situations of conflict and aggression. The diversity and unpredictability of these situations and the lack of pre-established procedures to guide workers in dealing with these phenomena affect and weaken their physical and mental health. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of the article is to learn about conflict and aggression at work and its impact on the workers in a hospital emergency room. METHOD: The method is …a transversal, exploratory, descriptive and observational study, carried out from September to November 2008, using direct observation procedures and interviews. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and eighty emergency room workers participated in the observations and eleven interviews were carried out with workers from several professional categories. RESULTS: The work process is marked by overload, individualization of responsibilities, time pressures and deadlines for making decision, little space for exchange and sharing, lack of support or guidance. The strong pressure to provide care quickly causes conflict and aggression among users and the different professional teams. These situations arise from problems in work organization and users in excess of the ER service capacity. CONCLUSION: The article recommends changes in the work process that can simultaneously improve both the quality of care for patients and provide protective measures for workers. Show more

Keywords: Health care professionals, working conditions, mental health

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131638

Citation: Work, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 519-527, 2013

Authors: Lima, Maria Elizabeth Antunes | da Mata, Carolina Couto

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Studies involving the therapeutic nature of the work done by chemically dependent individuals undergoing treatment in therapeutic communities are scarce, not only in Brazil, but also in the international literature. OBJECTIVE: To clarify the role played by work as a therapeutic element for patients who are undergoing treatment in a drug-free therapeutic community setting in Brazil. Clients are free to choose their occupations during treatment, that exercise their creativity and their responsability for …their recovery. METHOD: The Biographical Method was employed in two case studies. CONCLUSIONS: The approach adopted by the community enabled clients to recognize how they became chemically dependent, as well as their possibilities for recovery. Clients expanded their interests and their daily activities that were once exclusively directed towards the consumption of drugs. Their personal development improved through their contact with reality through work activities, in the context of a therapeutic community. From there, clients were increasingly able to plan and execute life projects aimed at their full recovery. Show more

Keywords: Chemical dependence, ergotherapy, occupation

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131639

Citation: Work, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 529-535, 2013

Authors: Coelho, Cecília Martins | Sampaio, Rosana Ferreira | Luz, Madel Therezinha | Mancini, Marisa Cotta

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Individuals with different impairments are working in the formal and/or informal market despite physical and attitudinal barriers. To date, few studies have addressed this situation from the perspective of the individuals. OBJECTIVE: Apprehend factors that restrict work performance in the perspective of workers with impairments and identify the strategies employed and the difficulties faced. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals with impairment who exercised paid activities. METHODS: Thirty semi-structured interviews and eleven observations …of individuals in work activities. RESULTS: Limitations stemming from participants' disability and health status had an influence over their execution of tasks, but did not compromise work performance. Environmental factors that impacted as facilitators or barriers were: lack of preparation of colleagues, employers, education and rehabilitation systems; attitudes and coexistence; accessibility, implementation of land use policies, urban structures and transportation; products and technology; and distributive policies. Personal factors (upbringing, self-esteem, good mood, outgoingness, communicability, willpower, age and how the disability was acquired) also influenced participation at work. Important strategies included recognizing and sharing capabilities and needs, which minimized or eliminated difficulties at work. CONCLUSIONS: Workers with impairments developed effective strategies for dealing with adverse situations, which remained in the individual realm. Working with impairments is a complex experience that demands overcoming old paradigms. Show more

Keywords: Persons with impairment, working conditions, occupational health, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, personal narratives

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131640

Citation: Work, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 537-551, 2013

Authors: Toldrá, Rosé Colom | Santos, Maria Conceição

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Participation in the workforce is one of the main social evaluations all individuals are subject to in modern society. Public policies supporting social justice for persons with disabilities have gained prominence in several nations in the last decades and it is critical to ensure that those who want to work are afforded the opportunity to do so. Meanwhile they remain under represented in the labor market within the contemporary world. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was …to identify facilitators or barriers faced by people with disability within the workforce. PARTICIPANTS: Ten workers with disabilities from various companies and performing diverse professional job functions participated in semi-structured interviews. METHOD: The Discourse of the Collective Subject method was employed as a means to organize and analyze qualitative data of a verbal nature. RESULTS: Reasonable work conditions, adjustments, and accommodations facilitate performance and job retention. Social participation through employment leads to social recognition and the feeling of citizenship. On the other hand prejudice, unequal opportunities, workers' low educational attainment, and lack of training opportunities lead to employment exclusion. CONCLUSION: To include people with disabilities in the workforce, it is necessary to focus on attaining equal levels of education, an unbiased and inclusive process for entering the labor market, and continued management of disability issues within the workplace. Together, these elements create equal opportunities for workers with disabilities to advance in their careers, which in turn enables participation, social recognition and guaranties their rights as citizens. Show more

Keywords: Worker with disability, labor force, supported employment, social participation, occupation

DOI: 10.3233/WOR-131641

Citation: Work, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 553-563, 2013

Article Type: Other

Citation: Work, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 565-568, 2013

Article Type: Other

Citation: Work, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 569-571, 2013