Sickness absence among health care workers in a hospital in southern Brazil

INTRODUCTION: Absenteeism is a pervasive and growing worldwide problem. In hospital settings, it is often associated with a fast-paced environment, shift work and high occupational demands. Absenteeism in hospitals can also be attributed to poor working conditions and the high emotional burden associated with daily exposure to illness and death. These conditions often lead to sickness absence. OBJECTIVES: To assess sickness absence among health care workers in hospital settings. METHODS: A cross sectional study was conducted using the data and medical records of health care workers in a hospital in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The data covered the period of September 2014 to December 2018. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 559 workers, 233 of whom were absent for at least 1 day in the year. Sickness absence was most common among women (79%) and nursing technicians (45.5%). The mean duration of absence was 5.53 days (standard deviation: 20.42), and the sickness absence rate was 2.01%. The most common reasons for sickness absence were injury, poisoning and other consequences of external causes (20.19%), followed by mental and behavioral disorders (17.90%) and diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (11.69%). CONCLUSIONS: Greater awareness of the factors associated with sickness absence in hospital settings can contribute to the planning of occupational health initiatives targeting the most vulnerable workers.