Work organization and risks of illness in the professional practice of doctors

Elenise Abreu Coelho,Carlos Costa,Vanessa Rissi,Michael Vieira Amarante

doi:10.1590/0102.3772e37502

Elenise Abreu Coelho, Carlos Costa + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0102.3772e37502

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Abstract

Abstract The work context is a risk factor for the illness of many professionals, among which the medical profession is highlighted. Thus, this study aimed to identify the risks of illness related to the work context of doctors, in the light of Psychodynamics at Work. One hundred and two professionals participated, who responded to the Work Context Assessment Scales, Indicators of Pleasure and Suffering at Work and Work-Related Damage. The results, based on descriptive and inferential statistics, demonstrated a moderate risk of illness related to the work context, professional exhaustion and physical damage. Work organization was strongly associated with “professional burnout” and “lack of recognition”. It is concluded, therefore, that there is a need for greater attention to the organization of work by the medical profession.

Highlights

Studies that investigate the aspects involved in the relationship between man versus work and that predispose workers to illness, or that, in the midst of harmful contexts, act in the preservation of health are not recent (Augusto et al, 2014; Martins & Mendes, 2012; Máximo et al, 2014; Merlo & Lapis, 2007)
Research that includes the subjective dimension of work as a potential risk factor for workers’ health dates back only to the 1980s, when theoretical and methodological references, especially the Psychodynamics of Work and the Ergological perspective, adopted a dynamic analysis that has based on the nature of the activity, real work (Ruiz & Araújo, 2012)
This includes processes that escape institutional prescriptions and enter the managerial scope of the worker himself in relation to his activity (Ruiz & Araújo, 2012). In this sense, based on the Psychodynamics of Work and in theoretical harmony with the Activity Ergonomics, Mendes and Ferreira (2007) established the following variables as risk factors for illness at work: a) the work context, constituted by the organization of work, socio-professional conditions and relationships; b) the demands caused by the context, in terms of physical, cognitive and affective costs; c) aspects related to experiences of pleasure and suffering at work; and, still, d) the physical and psychosocial damages caused by the demands and experiences of the work

Summary

Introduction

Studies that investigate the aspects involved in the relationship between man versus work and that predispose workers to illness, or that, in the midst of harmful contexts, act in the preservation of health are not recent (Augusto et al, 2014; Martins & Mendes, 2012; Máximo et al, 2014; Merlo & Lapis, 2007). In order to assess the risks of illness of the worker, the subjective dimension of work is considered beyond the objective conditions, such as the physical, chemical and biological aspects (Mendes & Ferreira, 2007) This includes processes that escape institutional prescriptions and enter the managerial scope of the worker himself in relation to his activity (Ruiz & Araújo, 2012). Since it corresponds to the division of labor (prescribed work, mode of production, rhythm, the realization and division of tasks) and the division of men (relational scope of work, hierarchy, power and control relations, autonomy, communication and cooperation) (Dejours & Abdoucheli, 1994), it deserves to be investigated

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