ACIDENTES OCUPACIONAIS BIOLÓGICOS E PRÁTICAS PROTETORAS EVIDENCIADOS NAS REPRESENTAÇÕES SOCIAIS DE ENFERMEIROS SOBRE SUA VULNERABILIDADE

Abstract

Nurses are at risk of biological occupational accidents because of their proximity to the body ill patients. This study aimed to describe the content related to biological occupational accidents and protective practices present in the social representations of the vulnerability elaborated by nurses who care for people living with HIV/AIDS. We used the benchmark of Social Representations. We interviewed 30 nurses caring for HIV/AIDS people. Content analysis in NVivo 9 software was performed. The contents of the representations revealed the existence of despair, panic and loneliness by the accident. The naturalization procedures and resistance to use the personal protective equipment are aspects of the constitution process of the representations. As the protective practices, signaling the patient's diagnosis and overuse of equipment emerged in speeches. It concluded that, based on their perception of their own vulnerability, nurses plan alternatives to protect themselves and justify them by giving them meaning.