Quality of life and the work capacity of professional nursing staff in the hospital environment

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the association between life quality and the work capacity of nursing professionals in a public hospital of the public health system. A cross-sectional, quantitative study with the participation of 115 nursing professionals. The study method used the WHOQOL-brief questionnaire, the Work Capacity Index questionnaire, and a sociodemographic and occupational questionnaire.  The data were analyzed through descriptive and inferential statistics, where values of p≤ 0.05 were considered significant. In terms of life quality, the domains that presented higher averages were for psychological 70.0±14.5 and social relations 70.8±19.8, with the physical domain reaching 64.4±11.9 and the environment at 57.7±13.6. The average score from the Work Capacity Index was 40.3±6.1; median: 42; IQR: 37.0-45.0), with a predominance of good and excellent for work capacity. Work capacity was increased for being male (β=3.99; p=0.016) and negatively associated to age (β=-0.31; p<0.001). In conclusion, it is verified that there is a positive correlation between the capacity for work and the evaluation of the quality of life, but it is emphasized that the sociodemographic and occupational characteristics lead the nursing professional to present a work capacity reduction, which generates alterations in the perception of life quality.