Health rather than excellence: The suffering of nutrition attendants of a public hospital affected by RSI/WRMSD

Abstract

This article presents the results of a research that aimed to understand the relationship between aspects of the work organization and the health of nutrition workers affected by RSI/WRMSD. Throughout the process, absenteeism statistics related to RSI/WRMSD were obtained from a Public Hospital in Porto Alegre/ RS, from 06/01/2015 to 06/30/2016, and a section of such hospital was selected for further study. We selected the Food Distribution Section and its nutrition attendants for the research. A structured questionnaire with sociodemographic and professional data and the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ-20) were used to investigate the prevalence of common mental disorders (CMD), and collective interviews were conducted with attendants affected by RSI/ WRMSD, using the theoretical reference of the Work Psychodynamics. Results obtained pointed to ways of organizing and managing work which included excessive pressure, moral harassment, and lack of recognition, generating suffering and influencing the processes of illness. A space for listening and discussing work issues is suggested, with meetings involving all workers, nutrition technicians, and the coordination, which may characterize a permanent action.