Factors related to sickness absenteeism among Brazilian Nursing professionals before, during, and after the pandemic

Abstract

Objective: to identify factors related to sick leave absenteeism among Brazilian nursing professionals before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: a cross-sectional study involving nursing professionals from medical, surgical, intensive care, and adult emergency units, with absences recorded between 2019 and 2022. Sociodemographic, occupational, and absence-related variables were evaluated. Descriptive statistical analysis, absenteeism rate calculation, and Poisson Regression with robust variance were performed, considering p≤0.05. Results: a sample of 839 professionals, with 7,375 absences, was analyzed. Sick leave absenteeism resulted in an average of 54.1±2.5 lost days (p<0.001) and was more prevalent among professionals aged 41 years or younger (31.8%; p=0.003). The intensive care (31.3%) and medical inpatient (27.5%) units reported the highest number of absences. The highest absenteeism rate (9.9%) occurred in July 2020. The risk of illness was associated with male gender (p≤0.001) and intensive care unit work (p=0.007) in the 1st period; being single (p=0.002) and being a nursing technician (p=0.022) in the 2nd period; and working in intensive care (p=0.003) and as a nursing technician (p≤0.001) in the 3rd period. Conclusion: after the end of the pandemic, absenteeism rates did not return to pre-pandemic levels. COVID-19 and musculoskeletal diseases were the most prevalent causes. It was possible to investigate the factors related to absenteeism.