Factors related to nursing work that contribute to illness: an integrative review

The illness of nurses is intrinsically related to their work environment. Thus, the aim of the present study was to identify the factors that contribute to the illness of nursing professionals in their work process. This is a literature review of articles published in Portuguese language from 2015 to 2020. Articles indexed in the Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO) Brazil and Virtual Health Library portal were used for the bibliographic survey. The exclusion criteria adopted were duplicate articles, studies performed in other countries, and studies that were not related to the topic. Factors such as stress, double employment, musculoskeletal diseases, physical load, emotional load, inadequate work environment, and long working hours significantly contribute to health problems and the frequent risks of worker illness. The subject is relevant because when working conditions interfere with the productive limitations of an individual, professional teams are overworked due to absenteeism, i.e., sick leave, which can evolve into permanent retirement or, often, early retirement. To mitigate this situation, functional readaptation should involve the reallocation of nurses to milder environments based on the limitations presented, favoring an increase in the self-esteem and appreciation of nurses.