Information about rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits among hospital nursing workers in Recife, PE

Resumen

This cross-sectional, non experimental survey aimed to analyze the work relation among nursing workers at two hospital institutions in Recife – PE, Brazil and the information they possess about their rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits. Data were collected through interviews with workers at one public and one private hospital, as well as non participant observation by the researcher between May and September 2004. After data collection and analysis, it was observed that women predominated (92,6%) among the 324 subjects in the two institutions, with older persons at the public institution, and a predominance of people who had not finished secondary education (66%). The public institution employed a higher number of nurses (29,8%), while the private hospital revealed a greater quantity of other nursing categories. At the two hospitals, workers performed other functions apart from what they could perform through their professional training; a large majority of the workers (96,6%) assumed the post they were hired for. At both institutions, subjects worked more at the wards (44,1%); there was a predominance of workers who had spent between 0 and 5 years on the job and in their current function. The existing employment contract was the single legal system at the public hospital while, at the private institution, employment contracts were ruled by the Consolidation of Labor Laws. With respect to identifying what occupational health promotion programs existed at the hospitals, most of the interviewees (51,9%) mentioned the existence of an Internal Accident Prevention Commission. When questioned about their rights, they managed to identify most of them, with percentage scores ranging from 59,3% to 96,6%; in terms of duties, these were identified with scores from 51,9% to 75,1%, and particularly mixed up with responsibilities. Participants did not manage to identify their responsibilities adequately, with scores ranging from 22,5% to 47,2%, and mixed them up with their duties, except for the responsibility in case of error. What their benefits is concerned, participants mainly mixed them up with their rights, with correct answers ranging from 14,2% to 48,8%. Workers gave many incorrect answers, mixing up rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits, which demonstrates their vulnerability as citizens and workers. Information about work-related issues – in this case workers’ rights, responsibilities, duties and benefits must be offered in their training courses and reinforced in permanent education programs in their employment institutions. This study suggests that information about rights, duties, responsibilities and benefits should be socialized among workers, giving them the opportunity to actually exercise their citizenship. Keywords: nursing professional, professional rights, professional responsibility, professional benefit, professional duty, occupational health.