Intensity of nursing work in public hospitals

Objective: to analyze the intensity of nursing work in public hospitals. Method: cross-sectional, quantitative study, carried out in 22 public hospitals. The sample was composed of 265 nurses and 810 nursing technicians and assistants. Data were collected through a questionnaire and analyzed with Exploratory Factor Analysis. The calculation of the distribution of the work intensity by category was done using a score ranging from -1 to +1 standard deviation of the data. Fisher's exact test (0.05 <p <= 0.10) was used to observe the significance between groups according to the employment bond. Results: work intensity contributed to the explanation of precarization of work, with a value of 13% for nurses and 51.2% for technicians and assistants. For the technicians and assistants, the variables with the highest factor loadings were '-work requires more than she can do-' (0.6696) and '-takes on multiple tasks due to staff shortages-' (0.6156). Among nurses, the highest factor loadings were observed in the variables '-time pressure at work (0.6779) and '-Work pace'- (0.6651). Conclusion: the variables analyzed indicate that work intensity occurs differently among nursing workers, and is revealed by the versatility, understaffing and flexibility of work.