Prazer e sofrimento no trabalho do enfermeiro em unidades de terapia intensiva: estratégias defensivas / Satisfaction and suffering in the work of nurses in Intensive Care Units: defensive strategies.

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2008

RESUMO

Qualitative research with the purpose of describing the characteristics of the work carried out by nurses at an Intensive Care Unit (ICU), identifying the feelings of satisfaction and suffering experienced by them and verifying the defensive strategies they use in order to face the feelings of suffering resulting from the work in these units. Eight nurses of a university hospital situated in Northern Paraná, took part in this research. Data gathering occurred from December 2006 to February 2007, and it was carried out by means of the semistructured interview technique with guided questions, whose content was recorded on a tape recorder and transcribed later. In order to analyze the data, the content analysis method was used based on the contributions of the Psychodynamics of Work. Four analytical categories were revealed based on the interviews: work management, suffering at work, defensive strategies used by them and satisfaction at work. These categories are incorporated to the thematic subcategories. Being a manager at an ICU for them means to take care of patients, manage the assistance, the nursing and health staff as well as the equipment and material resources. Suffering experiences are related to taking care of a patient in critical condition, involvement with the patients family, team work, consequences of actions carried out at the ICU, lack of acknowledgement, bureaucracy at work, use of technology and the need of scientific knowledge. The defensive strategies used by the nurses were: search for support in the religious practice, favor inter-relationship among the nursing staff members, perform physical activities, move away from the patient and his/her family members and make use of tabagism. The feelings of satisfaction were identified as: taking care of the patient, get involved with the patients family members, work in a team, confirm the result of the developed work, receive acknowledgement for the rendered service and the identification with the profession. It was observed the existence of ambiguity of satisfaction and suffering feelings experienced by the nurses that ranged from one moment to the other, observing that what caused difficulties or made the meeting of the needs not viable for helping and feeling useful, implied in suffering, and that everything that facilitated or enabled the needs, were considered the origin of satisfaction at work. Defense strategies were used by them in an individual more than in a collective way, but all of them were considered essential for preventing them from suffering. However, the smoking habit was a strategy identified as bad for ones health. Results allowed a reflection on the perceptions of the ICU nurses work, his/her suffering, satisfaction and defensive strategies. The reflections made it possible to broaden the knowledge universe of Psychodynamics of Work in this specific area, showing the psychic and social processes that pervade the meanings of work for the human being

ASSUNTO(S)

saúde do trabalhador emotions workers health intensive care units estresse psicológico. psychological stress. unidade de terapia intensiva nurses emoções enfermeiros

ACESSO AO ARTIGO

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