Abstract
to assess salivary cortisol concentrations in hematology/oncology nurses on working days and days off. a cross-sectional study carried out with 28 nurses from a university hospital. A sociodemographic, employment and health profile questionnaire was applied. For saliva collection, Salivette® tubes were used. Descriptive and analytical analysis was used. there was no significant difference in cortisol concentrations between working days and days off (p>0.05). The high cortisol concentration was associated with not having children (0.621±0.340; p=0.046), not using medication (0.623±0.133; p=0.017) and birth control pills (0.556 ± 0.228; p=0.047) and intention to leave work (0.951±0.154; p=0.001). A positive correlation was identified between cortisol and absence from work due to health issues (0.72; p=0.05) and weight gain (0.935; p=0.02). in general, cortisol concentration is within the reference parameters, with no significant difference in its secretion on working days and days off.
Highlights
The Brazilian nursing workforce tripled over the first decade of the 21st century, being essential for the provision and maintenance of health care[1]
This study aims to assess salivary cortisol concentrations in hematology/oncology nurses on working days and days off
Regarding workers’ health profile, 46.4% (n=14) had some health issue diagnosed by the physician, especially diseases related to the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (13.8%; n=4)
Summary
The Brazilian nursing workforce tripled over the first decade of the 21st century, being essential for the provision and maintenance of health care[1]. One of the sub-fields of activity is the specialty in oncology, which is increasingly necessary and important, since cancer is the second leading cause of death in the country[3]. The nursing routine in the oncology sectors demands a lot from all team members, who are susceptible to several occupational risks, one of them being stress. Occupational stress comes from disorders and psychological and physiological instability due to external stimuli and causes symptoms such as musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and exhaustion, sleep difficulties, among others, leading to illness[5,6]
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